Mi mamá trabaja en la escuela.

Because mi without an accent means my.

• mi = my
• mí = me after a preposition, as in para mí (for me)

So in Mi mamá trabaja en la escuela, mi is the correct possessive adjective.

A useful quick comparison:

• mi libro = my book
• para mí = for me

Both are correct, but they have different tones.

• mamá = mum / mom, more personal and everyday
• madre = mother, more neutral or formal

So Mi mamá trabaja en la escuela sounds natural in normal conversation.
If you said Mi madre trabaja en la escuela, that would also be correct, just a bit less warm or less casual.

The accent mark shows where the stress goes:

• mamá → stress on the last syllable: ma-MÁ

Without the accent, Spanish stress rules would make you expect a different pronunciation. The written accent tells you clearly how to say it.

It also helps distinguish mamá (mum) from other words like mama, which can mean something completely different in other contexts.

Trabaja is the third-person singular form of trabajar (to work) in the present tense.

The subject is mi mamá, which is equivalent to she, so the verb has to match that subject:

• yo trabajo = I work
• tú trabajas = you work
• él/ella trabaja = he/she works

So:

• Mi mamá trabaja = My mum works

Because Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed.

The verb form trabaja already tells you it is he/she/you (formal), and here the subject mi mamá is already stated, so adding ella would usually be unnecessary.

Natural Spanish:

• Mi mamá trabaja en la escuela.

You could say:

• Mi mamá, ella trabaja en la escuela

but that sounds more marked or emphatic, and it is not the normal neutral version.

Because en is used here for location: in / at the school.

• trabaja en la escuela = works at/in the school

By contrast, a usually shows movement toward a place:

• Va a la escuela = He/She goes to school

So:

• en = location
• a = destination or movement

That is why trabaja en la escuela is correct.

Because Spanish uses the definite article much more often than English.

Here, la escuela means the school, and in Spanish that is very natural after en when talking about a workplace or institution.

So:

• en la escuela = at the school / in the school

English might sometimes just say at school, but Spanish often still uses the article in cases like this.

It can mean either, depending on context.

The preposition en often covers both English ideas:

• in
• at

So Mi mamá trabaja en la escuela could be understood as:

• My mum works at the school
• My mum works in the school

In most situations, English would naturally translate it as at the school or at school, but the Spanish structure is simply en la escuela.

No. Mi does not change for gender.

It agrees only in number, not in masculine/feminine gender:

• mi madre = my mother
• mi padre = my father
• mis padres = my parents

So:

• singular noun → mi
• plural noun → mis

It does not matter whether the noun is masculine or feminine.

Yes, absolutely.

Both are correct:

• Mi mamá trabaja en la escuela = more familiar, everyday
• Mi madre trabaja en la escuela = more neutral or formal

A learner should understand both, but mamá is especially common in personal speech.

Sometimes, yes, but it depends on the exact meaning and context.

In Spain, colegio is very commonly used for a school, especially a primary school. Escuela is also correct, but it can sound a bit broader or be used in different contexts too.

So in Spain, people might often say:

• Mi mamá trabaja en el colegio

But Mi mamá trabaja en la escuela is still perfectly understandable and grammatical.

In Spain, trabaja is pronounced roughly like tra-BA-ha.

Important points:

• the j sounds like a strong throaty h
• the stress is on the middle syllable: tra-BA-ja

So not like an English j in job.

A rough guide:

• trabaja ≈ trah-BAH-hah

The normal, neutral order is:

• Mi mamá trabaja en la escuela.

Spanish does allow more flexibility than English, but changing the order usually changes the emphasis.

For example:

• En la escuela trabaja mi mamá.

This is grammatical, but it sounds more like It’s at the school that my mum works or gives special focus to the place.

So for a basic statement, Mi mamá trabaja en la escuela is the best choice.

Yes, in some contexts you can.

• Mamá trabaja en la escuela can sound natural, especially in informal speech, where mamá is being used almost like a name: Mum works at the school.

But Mi mamá trabaja en la escuela is more complete and is often better for learners because it clearly shows the possessive structure my mum.

So both are possible, but the original sentence is the safest standard version.