Mañana haremos bacalao al horno, aunque mi madre dice que necesita más tiempo.

Mañana can mean either tomorrow or morning in Spanish.

In this sentence, it means tomorrow because of the context:

• Haremos = we will make / we’ll cook
• The future tense strongly suggests a time in the future, so mañana is understood as tomorrow

If it meant morning, the sentence would sound odd without more context. For example:

• Mañana por la mañana = tomorrow morning
• Esta mañana = this morning

So here, mañana haremos... is naturally understood as Tomorrow we’ll make...

Haremos is the future tense of hacer for nosotros (we).

• hacer = to do / to make
• haremos = we will do / we will make

In food contexts, hacer often means to make or to cook:

• Haremos una tortilla = We’ll make an omelette
• Hoy hago paella = Today I’m making paella

So haremos bacalao al horno means we’ll make/cook baked cod.

Both are possible.

Spanish often uses either:

• haremos = simple future
• vamos a hacer = going to make

So these are both natural:

• Mañana haremos bacalao al horno
• Mañana vamos a hacer bacalao al horno

The difference is small here. In everyday speech, ir a + infinitive is very common, but the simple future is also completely normal and often slightly more concise or formal.

When talking about food in a general meal sense, Spanish often leaves out the article.

So:

• Haremos bacalao al horno = We’ll make baked cod
• Comemos paella
• Cenamos pizza

This is similar to English, where we often say We’re having cod rather than We’re having the cod.

You might see an article in other contexts, for example if you mean a specific piece or dish already mentioned:

• Haremos el bacalao que compramos ayer = We’ll make the cod we bought yesterday

Literally:

• bacalao = cod
• al horno = in the oven or oven-baked

So bacalao al horno means baked cod.

This is a very common Spanish food pattern:

• pollo al horno = roast/baked chicken
• patatas al horno = baked potatoes
• pescado al horno = baked fish

In natural English, you usually would not translate it word-for-word as cod to the oven. The normal translation is baked cod or cod baked in the oven.

Because a + el contracts to al in Spanish.

So:

• a + el = al

That means:

• al horno = a el horno

This contraction is mandatory in normal Spanish, except when el is part of a proper name:

• Voy al mercado
• Está al lado del banco

A related contraction is:

• de + el = del

Because here the speaker is presenting the mother’s opinion as a real statement, not as something hypothetical or doubtful.

• aunque mi madre dice que... = although my mother says that...

With aunque, Spanish can use either the indicative or the subjunctive, depending on meaning.

Use indicative when the information is treated as real or known:

• Aunque llueve, salgo. = Although it’s raining, I’m going out.

Use subjunctive when the information is hypothetical, unknown, or not accepted as fact:

• Aunque llueva, salgo. = Even if it rains, I’m going out.

Here, the mother really does say this, so dice is in the indicative.

Because dice que necesita... is a statement of what someone says, and after decir que you normally use the indicative when reporting information.

• Mi madre dice que necesita más tiempo = My mother says that it needs more time

The subjunctive necesite would not normally fit here unless the structure changed a lot.

Compare:

• Dice que necesita más tiempo = she says it needs more time
• No creo que necesite más tiempo = I don’t think it needs more time

So necesita is correct because it is being presented as a straightforward claim.

Grammatically, the subject is not repeated, so Spanish leaves it implied.

The most likely meaning is that the bacalao or the dish needs more time, especially more cooking time.

So the understood idea is:

• ...aunque mi madre dice que el bacalao necesita más tiempo
• or ...que necesita más tiempo en el horno

Spanish often omits subjects when they are clear from context. English usually needs it here, but Spanish does not.

Yes, Spanish word order is more flexible than English.

You could say:

• aunque mi madre dice que...
• aunque dice mi madre que...

But the first version is much more neutral and natural for most learners.

Spanish often keeps the subject after the verb in some contexts, but here mi madre dice is the clearest and most standard order.

Because aunque mi madre dice que necesita más tiempo is an additional clause attached to the main idea.

Main clause:

• Mañana haremos bacalao al horno

Subordinate clause:

• aunque mi madre dice que necesita más tiempo

The comma helps separate the contrast:

• We’ll make baked cod tomorrow, although my mother says it needs more time.

In Spanish punctuation, a comma before aunque is common when it introduces a contrasting comment after the main clause.

Both are possible, but they are slightly different in feel.

• hacer bacalao al horno = to make/cook baked cod
• cocinar bacalao al horno = to cook baked cod

Hacer is extremely common when talking about preparing dishes. Cocinar focuses more directly on the act of cooking.

So both are natural:

• Mañana haremos bacalao al horno
• Mañana cocinaremos bacalao al horno

For many everyday meal sentences, hacer sounds very idiomatic.

A broad Spain pronunciation would sound roughly like this:

mañana → ma-NYA-na
haremos → the h is silent: a-RE-mos
bacalao → ba-ka-LA-o
al horno → al OR-no
aunque → aun-ke
dice → in most of Spain, the c before e sounds like th in thin, so roughly DEE-theh
necesita → ne-theh-SEE-ta in much of Spain

A key point for Spain Spanish:

• c before e/i and z are often pronounced like th
• h is silent

So dice and necesita may sound different from many Latin American pronunciations.

Yes. Spanish allows quite flexible placement of time expressions.

These are all possible:

• Mañana haremos bacalao al horno...
• Haremos bacalao al horno mañana...
• Bacalao al horno haremos mañana... (less neutral, more marked)

The version in your sentence is very natural because putting mañana first sets the time immediately.

It is similar to English starting with Tomorrow... for emphasis or clarity.