No quiero desanimarme por un error pequeño; prefiero respirar hondo y seguir.

Because desanimarse is a very common reflexive verb meaning to get discouraged or to lose heart.

• desanimar = to discourage someone/something
  
  • Eso me desanima = That discourages me.
• desanimarse = to become discouraged oneself
  
  • No quiero desanimarme = I don’t want to get discouraged.

In this sentence, the speaker is talking about their own emotional reaction, so the reflexive form makes sense.

Because after verbs like querer, preferir, poder, etc., when the next verb is an infinitive, the reflexive pronoun can be attached to that infinitive.

So both of these are correct:

• No quiero desanimarme
• No me quiero desanimar

They mean the same thing. Attaching me to the infinitive is very natural and common.

Both are possible:

• No quiero desanimarme
• No me quiero desanimar

Spanish often allows the pronoun either:

1. before the conjugated verb
2. attached to the infinitive

In this sentence, the writer chose the second option. It sounds smooth and very standard.

Here por means because of.

So:

• por un error pequeño = because of a small mistake

This is a very common use of por to express cause or reason.

Examples:

• Lo hice por ti = I did it because of you / for you
• Se enfadó por eso = He got angry because of that

In this sentence, it means the speaker does not want to get discouraged because of one minor mistake.

Both are possible, but the position of the adjective can slightly change the feel.

• un error pequeño = a mistake that is small/minor
  
  • more literal, neutral
• un pequeño error = a small mistake
  
  • often a bit more subjective or stylistically smoother

In everyday use, both can work here.
Error pequeño sounds more straightforward and descriptive.
Pequeño error can sound a little more like a set phrase.

Both can mean to get discouraged or to be discouraged, but desanimarse is often more common and natural in everyday speech.

• desanimarse = to lose motivation, feel less encouraged
• desalentarse = similar meaning, but often feels a bit more formal or less common in casual conversation

So No quiero desanimarme sounds very natural and conversational.

Prefiero means I prefer. It is the first person singular of preferir.

Structure:

• preferir + infinitive
• prefiero respirar hondo y seguir = I prefer to take a deep breath and keep going

This is just like English:

• I prefer to wait
• Prefiero esperar

Since respirar and seguir are actions, Spanish uses the infinitive after prefiero.

It is both literal and idiomatic.

Literally:

• respirar = to breathe
• hondo = deeply / deep

So respirar hondo means to breathe deeply or to take a deep breath.

Idiomatic meaning: It often suggests calming yourself, pausing, and regaining control before continuing.

So in this sentence, it means something like:

• instead of getting discouraged, I’d rather calm myself and continue

In this expression, hondo is the normal word.

• respirar hondo = standard phrase for to take a deep breath
• profundo often means deep, but it is not the usual choice in this expression

Spanish uses many set combinations, and respirar hondo is one of them.

Here seguir means to continue or to keep going.

It does not need an object in this sentence because the meaning is general:

• prefiero respirar hondo y seguir = I prefer to take a deep breath and keep going

You could add more if you wanted:

• seguir adelante = keep moving forward
• seguir intentándolo = keep trying

But just seguir works perfectly well on its own here.

The semicolon connects two closely related ideas:

• No quiero desanimarme por un error pequeño
• prefiero respirar hondo y seguir

It shows a stronger pause than a comma, but not as complete a break as a full stop.

You could also write:

• No quiero desanimarme por un error pequeño. Prefiero respirar hondo y seguir.

That would also be correct. The semicolon simply helps link the contrast in a neat, polished way.

Yes, but the structure would need to change a little.

Current version:

• No quiero desanimarme por un error pequeño; prefiero respirar hondo y seguir.

Alternative with sino:

• No quiero desanimarme por un error pequeño, sino respirar hondo y seguir.

Or more naturally:

• No quiero desanimarme por un error pequeño, sino respirar hondo y seguir adelante.

Sino is used after a negative idea to give a contrasting replacement:

• not this, but that

The original sentence uses prefiero instead, which is also very natural.

Yes. Error is masculine:

• un error
• el error

Many nouns ending in -or are masculine:

• el color
• el amor
• el dolor

So un error pequeño is correct, with pequeño also in the masculine singular form.

Yes. Depending on the tone, several options are possible:

• un error pequeño = a small mistake
• un error mínimo = a tiny/minor mistake
• un error sin importancia = an unimportant mistake
• un error menor = a minor mistake

All are understandable, but un error pequeño is simple, clear, and easy for learners to recognize.

Yes, it is fully natural and understandable in Spain.

Everything in it is standard:

• No quiero desanimarme = very natural
• por un error pequeño = natural
• prefiero respirar hondo y seguir = very natural

A speaker in Spain might also say:

• No quiero venirme abajo por un error pequeño; prefiero respirar hondo y seguir.

But the original sentence is standard, neutral, and correct.