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Agradezco haber aceptado la propuesta de mi profesora.

Agradezco haber aceptado la propuesta de mi profesora.
I am grateful to have accepted my teacher’s proposal.
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Questions & Answers about Agradezco haber aceptado la propuesta de mi profesora.

Why is haber aceptado used instead of he aceptado or just acepté?

Because after agradecer (and many other verbs) Spanish normally uses an infinitive, not a conjugated verb, when the subject is the same in both actions.

  • Agradezco haber aceptado...
    = I am grateful (for) having accepted...
    Here both actions (being grateful and having accepted) share the same subject: yo.

You cannot say:

  • ✗ Agradezco he aceptado... (wrong: two finite verbs with no linker)
  • ✗ Agradezco acepté la propuesta... (sounds wrong/unfinished without que)

If you want a conjugated verb, you need que:

  • Agradezco que acepté la propuesta → grammatically possible but odd; normally you’d use subjunctive:
  • Agradezco que haya aceptado la propuesta (though this changes the structure and usual meaning a bit — see another answer below).

So haber aceptado is there because:

  1. It depends on agradezco as an infinitive complement.
  2. It allows you to express a past action relative to the main verb (having accepted before feeling grateful).
What exactly is haber aceptado grammatically?

Haber aceptado is a perfect infinitive:

  • haber = infinitive of haber (auxiliary verb used to form compound tenses)
  • aceptado = past participle of aceptar

So:

  • aceptar = (simple) infinitive → to accept
  • haber aceptado = (perfect) infinitive → to have accepted / having accepted

It works like English “to have done / having done”, but as a single non‑conjugated verbal unit that functions as:

  • the object of a verb: Agradezco haber aceptado...
  • the object of a preposition: Me alegro de haber aceptado...
Why doesn’t aceptado change to agree with propuesta (for example aceptada)?

Because when aceptado is part of a compound tense with haber, it never agrees in gender or number with anything. It stays invariable:

  • haber aceptado
  • he aceptado
  • han aceptado

In all of those, you always use aceptado, regardless of:

  • the subject (yo, tú, ellos, ellas...)
  • the object (la propuesta, los documentos, las ideas...)

You only change it when the participle is used as an adjective:

  • la propuesta aceptada = the accepted proposal (adjective; agrees: feminine, singular)
  • las propuestas aceptadas = the accepted proposals (feminine plural)

But in:

  • haber aceptado la propuesta

aceptado is not an adjective. It’s a verbal participle forming a compound tense with haber, so it doesn’t agree with propuesta.

Who is the subject of haber aceptado? Is it always yo?

In this sentence, yes: the subject of agradezco and haber aceptado is the same person, implied yo.

General rule:

  • When you have verb + infinitive (like agradecer + haber aceptado) without que, the infinitive normally shares the same subject as the main verb.

So:

  • Agradezco haber aceptado la propuesta de mi profesora.
    → I am grateful; I am the one who accepted.

If you want the teacher or another person to be the one who accepted, you would not use this structure. You would typically use que + subjunctive:

  • Agradezco que mi profesora haya aceptado mi propuesta.
    → I’m grateful that my teacher has accepted my proposal.

Here:

  • Subject of agradezco = yo
  • Subject of haya aceptado = mi profesora

So:

  • Agradezco haber aceptado... → I accepted.
  • Agradezco que mi profesora haya aceptado... → my teacher accepted.
Can I also say Agradezco que haya aceptado la propuesta de mi profesora? What’s the difference?

You can say it, but it normally means something different:

  1. Agradezco haber aceptado la propuesta de mi profesora.

    • Subject of both actions: yo
    • Meaning: I’m grateful that I accepted my teacher’s proposal.

  2. Agradezco que haya aceptado la propuesta de mi profesora.

    • Here haya aceptado is in the subjunctive after que.
    • The implied subject is usually él/ella/usted (someone else, not necessarily me).
    • Usual interpretation: I’m grateful that he/she has accepted my teacher’s proposal.

So:

  • If you accepted: use haber aceptado (infinitive, same subject).
  • If someone else accepted: use que + subjunctive (que haya aceptado with a clear subject: él, ella, usted, Juan, etc.).
What’s the difference between Agradezco haber aceptado... and Estoy agradecido por haber aceptado...?

Both are correct; the difference is style and nuance:

  1. Agradezco haber aceptado la propuesta de mi profesora.

    • Uses the verb agradecer.
    • Slightly more direct and compact.
    • More common in writing (emails, formal speech), but also fine in spoken Spanish.

  2. Estoy agradecido por haber aceptado la propuesta de mi profesora.

    • Uses the adjective agradecido
      • estar.
    • Focuses more on your emotional state (“I am grateful”).
    • Sounds a bit more personal / subjective, and often a bit more formal or reflective.

In everyday conversation, many speakers might more naturally say:

  • Me alegro de haber aceptado la propuesta de mi profesora.
    (I’m glad I accepted my teacher’s proposal.)
Why is it la propuesta de mi profesora and not a mi profesora?

Because here mi profesora is not the person you’re directly thanking; it’s just the origin/owner of the proposal:

  • la propuesta de mi profesora = my teacher’s proposal
    (a possessive / origin relationship expressed with de)

If you wanted to thank your teacher as a person, you would use a with an indirect object:

  • Agradezco a mi profesora la propuesta.
    = I thank my teacher for the proposal.

So:

  • de mi profesora → “of my teacher / my teacher’s” (genitive/possessive)
  • a mi profesora → indirect object (to my teacher), often meaning you are thanking her.

Your original sentence focuses on your decision (accepting the proposal), not on thanking the teacher directly.

Could I say Le agradezco a mi profesora haber aceptado su propuesta? What changes?

Yes, that’s correct, but the meaning shifts slightly:

  • Le agradezco a mi profesora haber aceptado su propuesta.

Breakdown:

  • Le agradezco... = I thank her / I am grateful to her.
  • a mi profesora = clarifies who le refers to.
  • haber aceptado su propuesta = for having accepted her proposal.

Meaning:

  • I thank my teacher (I’m grateful to her) for having accepted her proposal.

So compared to:

  • Agradezco haber aceptado la propuesta de mi profesora.
    → Focus on my decision to accept her proposal.

The version with le agradezco a mi profesora... explicitly makes your teacher the indirect object of your gratitude (you are thanking her).

Is agradezco very formal? When would I use it instead of something like me alegro de?

Agradezco is polite and can sound a bit formal, but it’s also used in neutral contexts. Typical uses:

  • Emails / letters:

    • Le agradezco su respuesta.
    • Agradezco su tiempo.

  • Spoken, polite/serious:

    • Te agradezco que me hayas ayudado.

Me alegro de is more informal and emotional:

  • Me alegro de haber aceptado la propuesta.
  • Me alegro de que hayas venido.

Rough guide:

  • agradezco → thanking, expressing gratitude (often to someone).
  • me alegro de → expressing happiness/relief for a situation.

In your specific sentence, both are valid but slightly different in tone:

  • Agradezco haber aceptado la propuesta... → more about gratitude.
  • Me alegro de haber aceptado la propuesta... → more about being happy with your choice.
Why is propuesta feminine, and why is it mi profesora and not mi profesor?

Two separate points:

  1. Propuesta

    • Nouns ending in -ción, -sión, -dad, -tad, -tud, -umbre, -ie, -ez, -eza, -cia, -za, -ura, -a are often feminine, including many that refer to abstract concepts or actions.
    • propuesta (proposal) is one of these; it is feminine, so:
      • la propuesta, una propuesta, esta propuesta.

  2. Profesora

    • profesor = male teacher (or generic in some older/neutral usage)
    • profesora = female teacher
    • In modern Spanish (especially in Spain), people typically match the gender of the person:
      • mi profesor (male)
      • mi profesora (female)

So the sentence assumes the teacher is a woman, hence mi profesora.

Is the word order fixed, or could I say Agradezco la propuesta de mi profesora haber aceptado?

You cannot say Agradezco la propuesta de mi profesora haber aceptado. That order is ungrammatical and confusing.

The normal placement is:

  • Agradezco + [infinitive] + [objects/complements]
    • Agradezco haber aceptado la propuesta de mi profesora.

In practice:

  • haber aceptado must stay together right after the main verb (or almost right after).
  • The object (la propuesta de mi profesora) comes after the infinitive.

Acceptable small variations:

  • Agradezco mucho haber aceptado la propuesta de mi profesora.
  • Sinceramente agradezco haber aceptado la propuesta de mi profesora.

But you shouldn’t split haber aceptado from what it governs or put the object between haber and aceptado in this structure.

How would the sentence change in past or future, like “I was grateful” or “I will be grateful”?

You change the tense of agradecer, but haber aceptado stays the same:

  • Past (I was grateful):

    • Agradecí haber aceptado la propuesta de mi profesora.
    • I was grateful for having accepted my teacher’s proposal.

  • Imperfect (I used to be / was generally grateful):

    • Agradecía haber aceptado la propuesta de mi profesora.
    • I was (habitually) grateful for having accepted my teacher’s proposal.

  • Future (I will be grateful):

    • Agradeceré haber aceptado la propuesta de mi profesora.
    • I will be grateful for having accepted my teacher’s proposal.

Notice:

  • haber aceptado always refers to a prior action (the acceptance) relative to the main verb (agradecí, agradecía, agradeceré).