Mi hermana dice que no quiere temblar en la entrevista, así que respira hondo.

In Spanish, possessives like mi, tu, su, nuestro usually go directly before the noun, without an article.

So you say:

• mi hermana = my sister
• tu coche = your car

Using la mi hermana is not normal in standard modern Spanish.

Mi without an accent is the possessive adjective meaning my.

• mi hermana = my sister

Mí with an accent is a pronoun meaning me, used after prepositions:

• para mí = for me
• sin mí = without me

So here it must be mi because it is describing hermana.

Dice que means says that.

• dice = he/she says
• que = that

Spanish often uses que to introduce reported speech or reported thoughts:

• Ella dice que está cansada. = She says that she is tired.

In English, that is often optional, but in Spanish que is usually required here.

Dice is the third person singular present of decir.

It agrees with mi hermana, which is a she subject:

• yo digo
• tú dices
• él/ella dice

So Mi hermana dice... means My sister says... or sometimes My sister is saying..., depending on context.

After querer in this kind of structure, Spanish uses the infinitive.

So:

• quiere temblar = wants to tremble
• quiere hablar = wants to speak
• quiere salir = wants to go out

This is very common in Spanish: a conjugated verb + infinitive.

In Spanish, negation normally goes before the conjugated verb.

So:

• no quiere temblar = she does not want to tremble
• no dice nada = she does not say anything

You do not put the no before temblar, because quiere is the main conjugated verb in that part of the sentence.

Temblar means to tremble, shake, or shiver.

In this sentence, it most likely means to shake from nerves. For example, before an interview, someone might have a shaky voice or trembling hands.

So it is not necessarily about being cold; it can also describe nervous physical trembling.

En la entrevista literally means in the interview, but in natural English we would often say during the interview or simply in the interview depending on context.

Spanish often uses en where English might prefer in, at, or during.

Here, en la entrevista means the trembling would happen while she is in the interview situation.

Not always. Entrevista just means interview in general.

It could be:

• a job interview
• a media interview
• an interview for a school or program

However, without extra context, many learners would naturally understand it as a job interview, because that is a very common situation where someone might be nervous.

Because this is a straightforward statement of what the sister says and wants.

• dice que... reports information
• quiere temblar / no quiere temblar states a desire

There is no trigger here requiring the subjunctive in quiere or temblar.

You might see subjunctive in other patterns, such as:

• Mi hermana quiere que todo salga bien. = My sister wants everything to go well.

There, salga is subjunctive because the structure is querer que + clause with a different subject.

But in your sentence, the sister wants herself not to tremble, so Spanish uses querer + infinitive.

Así que means so, therefore, or so then.

It introduces the consequence or result of the first idea:

• No quiere temblar en la entrevista, así que respira hondo.
• She doesn’t want to tremble in the interview, so she takes a deep breath.

It connects the two parts logically: because she wants to avoid trembling, she breathes deeply.

They are not interchangeable.

• porque means because and introduces a reason
• así que means so and introduces a result/consequence

Compare:

• Respira hondo porque no quiere temblar. = She breathes deeply because she doesn’t want to tremble.
• No quiere temblar, así que respira hondo. = She doesn’t want to tremble, so she breathes deeply.

Same general idea, but the direction of the logic changes.

Respira is the present tense of respirar and agrees with the same subject, mi hermana.

So the sentence is describing two present-time ideas:

• my sister says...
• she breathes deeply

In context, the present tense can describe something habitual, current, or part of a vivid narration.

Yes, the natural interpretation is that mi hermana is still the subject.

Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns when the subject is clear from context and verb endings. So after mentioning mi hermana, the sentence does not need to repeat ella.

You could say:

• Mi hermana dice que no quiere temblar en la entrevista, así que ella respira hondo.

But the ella is usually unnecessary unless you want emphasis or contrast.

Respira hondo means she breathes deeply or she takes a deep breath.

It is a very common expression in Spanish.

Literally, hondo means deep, but in this expression it works naturally with respirar to mean to breathe deeply.

You will often hear:

• Respira hondo. = Take a deep breath / Breathe deeply.

Spanish often prefers the fixed expression respirar hondo instead of the more formal or less common respirar profundamente.

Both can be understood, but respirar hondo is much more natural in everyday speech.

So although English often uses an adverb, deeply, Spanish commonly uses hondo in this expression.

The comma helps separate the two clauses:

• Mi hermana dice que no quiere temblar en la entrevista
• así que respira hondo

This is very common before connectors like así que, especially when they join two complete ideas. It makes the sentence easier to read.

It can suggest either, depending on context.

• In many situations, it sounds like she takes a deep breath
• In a more general sense, it can mean she breathes deeply

Because the sentence is about calming nerves before an interview, English might naturally translate it as she takes a deep breath.

A simple guide:

• entrevista ≈ en-treh-BEES-tah
• hondo ≈ ON-doh

A few useful points:

• The h in Spanish is silent, so hondo starts with an o sound.
• In Spain, the v in entrevista is pronounced very similarly to b.
• Stress falls naturally on vista in entrevista and on hon in hondo.

Yes. Durante la entrevista is also correct and may sound a bit more explicitly like during the interview.

Compare:

• en la entrevista = in the interview / during the interview
• durante la entrevista = during the interview

In this sentence, en la entrevista is completely natural, but durante would also work.

Yes, the present tense in Spanish can do both.

Depending on context, this sentence could mean:

• a current situation: your sister is about to have an interview and is breathing deeply now
• a repeated habit: whenever she has an interview, she says this and breathes deeply
• a vivid narrative: the speaker is describing events in a lively present style

So the present tense here is flexible, just as it often is in Spanish and English.