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A veces me desanimo si pienso demasiado en mis errores, pero mi profesora insiste en que siga hablando.

A veces me desanimo si pienso demasiado en mis errores, pero mi profesora insiste en que siga hablando.
Sometimes I get discouraged if I think too much about my mistakes, but my teacher insists that I keep speaking.
FromLesson 69inHardcore Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about A veces me desanimo si pienso demasiado en mis errores, pero mi profesora insiste en que siga hablando.

What does A veces mean, and why is it at the beginning of the sentence?

A veces means sometimes.

It often goes at the beginning of a sentence because it sets the time frame for the whole idea:

  • A veces me desanimo... = Sometimes I get discouraged...

You could also place it elsewhere in some contexts, but at the start it sounds very natural and clear.

Why is it me desanimo and not just desanimo?

Because desanimarse is commonly used as a pronominal/reflexive-style verb when talking about becoming discouraged.

  • me desanimo = I get discouraged / I lose heart

Here, me does not mean myself in a literal English reflexive way. It is just part of how this verb is commonly used.

Compare:

  • desanimar a alguien = to discourage someone
  • desanimarse = to become discouraged

So:

  • La crítica me desanima = The criticism discourages me
  • Me desanimo = I get discouraged
Does me desanimo mean I am discouraged or I get discouraged?

More naturally, it means I get discouraged or I become discouraged.

That is because desanimarse often suggests a change of state, not just a static condition.

If you wanted to express more of a state, Spanish might also use:

  • Estoy desanimado/a = I am discouraged / I feel down

So in this sentence:

  • A veces me desanimo... = Sometimes I get discouraged...
Why is it si pienso and not si piense?

Because after si meaning if, Spanish normally uses the indicative, not the subjunctive, when talking about a real or possible condition.

So:

This is standard:

  • Si estudio, aprendo más = If I study, I learn more
  • Si tengo tiempo, voy = If I have time, I go

You do not usually say:

  • si piense ❌

The subjunctive after si is used in different patterns, especially with unlikely or contrary-to-fact situations in past forms, for example:

  • Si pensara demasiado... = If I thought too much...

But in your sentence, the speaker is talking about a real recurring situation, so pienso is correct.

What does demasiado do here, and why does it come after pienso?

Demasiado means too much.

In this sentence it modifies the verb pienso, so:

  • pienso demasiado = I think too much

Then en mis errores tells you what the thinking is about:

  • pienso demasiado en mis errores = I think too much about my mistakes

This word order is very natural in Spanish.

Why is it pienso en mis errores and not pienso mis errores?

Because pensar changes meaning depending on whether it uses en.

  • pensar en algo = to think about something
  • pensar algo = to think something, to have an opinion or idea

So here:

  • pienso en mis errores = I think about my mistakes

But:

  • Pienso que es difícil = I think that it is difficult

That is a different structure.

Why does the sentence use pero mi profesora insiste en que...? Why is en needed?

Because the verb insistir is normally used with en.

There are two common patterns:

  • insistir en algo = to insist on something
  • insistir en que + clause = to insist that...

So:

  • Mi profesora insiste en que siga hablando = My teacher insists that I keep speaking

You cannot usually drop the en here.

Why is it siga and not sigue?

Because insistir en que is followed by the subjunctive when the subject of the second verb is different.

In the sentence:

  • mi profesora insiste = subject: my teacher
  • que siga hablando = subject: I

Since one person is insisting and another person is supposed to do the action, Spanish uses the subjunctive:

  • insiste en que siga...

So:

  • siga = present subjunctive of seguir

Not:

Why is the subjunctive used after insiste en que?

The subjunctive is used because this part expresses influence, pressure, recommendation, or insistence about another person’s action.

Spanish often uses the subjunctive after verbs that try to affect what someone else does:

  • querer que...
  • recomendar que...
  • insistir en que...
  • pedir que...

Examples:

  • Quiero que vengas = I want you to come
  • La profesora insiste en que siga hablando = The teacher insists that I keep speaking

So the subjunctive here is not about doubt. It is about one person trying to influence another person’s action.

What exactly does siga hablando mean?

Siga hablando comes from:

  • seguir = to continue, to keep on
  • hablando = speaking

Together, seguir + gerund means to keep doing something or to continue doing something.

So:

  • siga hablando = that I keep speaking / that I continue speaking

It does not mean the English present continuous am speaking by itself. The structure seguir + gerund specifically adds the idea of continuation.

Why is it hablando and not hablar after siga?

Because seguir commonly uses the pattern:

So:

  • seguir hablando = to keep speaking
  • seguir estudiando = to keep studying
  • seguir intentando = to keep trying

If you said seguir hablar, that would be incorrect.

Why is there no yo in the sentence?

Because Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns when the verb already makes the subject clear.

For example:

  • me desanimo already tells you the subject is I
  • pienso also shows I

So Spanish does not need yo unless you want emphasis or contrast.

Compare:

  • A veces me desanimo... = neutral, natural
  • Yo a veces me desanimo... = more emphasis on I
What is the role of mi profesora? Does it specifically mean a female teacher?

Yes. Profesora is the feminine form of profesor.

So:

  • mi profesora = my female teacher
  • mi profesor = my male teacher

The possessive mi does not change for masculine or feminine singular nouns:

  • mi profesora
  • mi profesor
Could A veces me desanimo also be translated as Sometimes I lose confidence?

Yes, depending on context. Desanimarse can overlap with several English ideas:

But the most direct and common translation here is:

  • Sometimes I get discouraged

That fits especially well with the rest of the sentence about thinking too much about mistakes.

Could the sentence say continúe hablando instead of siga hablando?

Yes, it could, and the meaning would be very similar.

  • insiste en que siga hablando
  • insiste en que continúe hablando

Both mean something like she insists that I continue/keep speaking.

However, seguir + gerund is extremely common and very natural in everyday Spanish.

Why is it mis errores and not los errores míos?

Because the usual and most natural way to say my mistakes in Spanish is with a possessive before the noun:

You can say los errores míos, but it is more emphatic or contrastive, as if you were distinguishing them from someone else’s mistakes.

Normal, neutral Spanish prefers:

  • mis errores = my mistakes
Is this whole sentence in the present tense?

Mostly yes, but with one important detail.

You have:

So the main time frame is present, but siga is not indicative present; it is present subjunctive because of insiste en que.

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