Mi hermana se esfuerza mucho, y eso hace que cada semana hable con más confianza.

Because the verb is esforzarse, which is normally used as a pronominal/reflexive-style verb in Spanish.

• esforzarse = to make an effort / to try hard
• mi hermana se esfuerza = my sister tries hard / makes a big effort

Even though it looks reflexive, it does not literally mean she is “efforting herself” in natural English. It is simply the standard way this verb is used.

Also notice the stem change:

• esforzarse
• se esfuerza in the present tense

That change from o to ue is normal for this verb.

Here, mucho means a lot.

• Mi hermana se esfuerza mucho = My sister tries very hard / makes a big effort

Use mucho because it modifies the verb se esfuerza.

A useful contrast:

• muy
  • adjective/adverb
    
    • muy cansada = very tired
    • muy bien = very well
• mucho
  • verb
    
    • trabaja mucho = she works a lot
    • se esfuerza mucho = she tries hard / makes a big effort

So muy esfuerza would be wrong.

Because after hace que in this sentence, Spanish uses the subjunctive: hable.

Structure:

• eso hace que + subjunctive

So:

• eso hace que... hable = that causes/makes it so that... she speaks

The idea is that hacer que introduces a result or effect, and Spanish commonly uses the subjunctive after it.

Compare:

• Eso hace que hable con más confianza.
• not Eso hace que habla...

So hable is the present subjunctive of hablar.

Because hacer que is a pattern that typically expresses causation: one thing makes another thing happen. In Spanish, that kind of structure usually takes the subjunctive in the subordinate clause.

Pattern:

• hacer que + subject + subjunctive

Examples:

• Eso hace que ella hable mejor.
• La práctica hace que tengas más seguridad.
• El descanso hace que estemos más concentrados.

It is not about whether the action is unreal; it is simply the grammar required by this construction.

The subject is still mi hermana.

In full, the idea is:

• Mi hermana se esfuerza mucho, y eso hace que (mi hermana) hable con más confianza.

Spanish often does not repeat the subject if it is already clear from context.

So although mi hermana is not repeated after que, it is still understood.

Eso refers to the whole previous idea: the fact that my sister makes a big effort / tries hard.

So:

• Mi hermana se esfuerza mucho, y eso...
• = My sister tries hard, and that...

Here eso acts like that in English, pointing back to the previous statement.

Yes, but it would mean something slightly different in structure.

The original sentence says:

• Mi hermana se esfuerza mucho, y eso hace que...
• My sister tries hard, and that makes it so that...

If you repeated mi hermana, you might say:

• Mi hermana se esfuerza mucho y por eso habla con más confianza.

That version is also very natural, but it is built differently:

• por eso = because of that / therefore / that’s why
• habla is now indicative, not subjunctive, because the structure has changed

So both are possible, but they are not grammatically identical.

Cada semana means each week / every week.

It suggests a regular, repeated improvement over time:

• cada semana hable con más confianza
• = that each week she speaks with more confidence

A close alternative would be:

• todas las semanas

Both can often mean every week, though cada semana can sound a bit more focused on each individual week as a recurring point in time.

Con más confianza literally means with more confidence.

Spanish often uses con + noun where English might use either:

• with more confidence, or
• more confidently

So:

• hablar con confianza = to speak confidently / with confidence
• hablar con más confianza = to speak with more confidence / more confidently

This is a very common and natural Spanish structure.

Because Spanish often prefers a noun phrase like con confianza instead of an adverb ending in -mente.

While adverbs in -mente do exist, they can sound more formal, heavier, or simply less natural in everyday speech depending on the word.

So Spanish commonly says:

• habla con confianza
• habla con más confianza

rather than trying to use a direct adverb equivalent every time.

This is one of those places where Spanish and English do not match word-for-word.

Yes. Hable is the present subjunctive form of hablar.

How to form it:

1. Start from the yo form of the present indicative:
   • hablo
2. Remove the -o
   • habl-
3. Add subjunctive endings for -ar verbs:
   • hable, hables, hable, hablemos, habléis, hablen

So here:

• (ella) hable = that she speak

Because Spanish usually omits subject pronouns when the subject is clear.

So instead of saying:

• ...hace que ella hable...

Spanish often just says:

• ...hace que hable...

The verb form hable and the context make the subject understandable.

You can include ella if you want emphasis or contrast, but it is not necessary here.

No. After hace que, you need the subjunctive, so it must be:

• eso hace que ella hable con más confianza

Using habla there would be a grammar mistake.

If you want to use the indicative habla, you need a different structure, for example:

• Mi hermana se esfuerza mucho, y por eso habla con más confianza.

That is a very useful contrast:

• hacer que + subjunctive
• por eso + indicative

The comma helps separate the two linked ideas:

• Mi hermana se esfuerza mucho
• y eso hace que cada semana hable con más confianza

In Spanish, commas before y are not always used the same way as in English, but here it is quite natural because the second part comments on the whole first part and is a bit longer.

You may also see versions without the comma in some contexts, but the punctuation here is perfectly normal.

Yes. Spanish allows some flexibility.

Original:

• ...hace que cada semana hable con más confianza.

Possible alternatives:

• ...hace que hable con más confianza cada semana.
• ...hace que, cada semana, hable con más confianza.

The original version emphasizes the idea of week-by-week progress a little earlier in the clause, which works well stylistically.

It suggests repeated improvement over time.

Why?

• se esfuerza mucho is present tense, describing an ongoing habit or characteristic
• cada semana adds a repeated time frame
• hable con más confianza suggests the result happens progressively

So the overall sense is that her effort is leading to her speaking more confidently week after week.