Learn Spanish (Latin America): Mi madre dice que se alegra de esta relación. - My mother says that she is glad about this relationship.

Mi madre dice que se alegra de esta relación.

My mother says that she is glad about this relationship.

Breakdown of Mi madre dice que se alegra de esta relación.

Questions & Answers about Mi madre dice que se alegra de esta relación.

Why do we need the word de after alegra?

This is a set verb-preposition combination. In Spanish, the verb alegrarse (to be glad or happy) is almost always followed by the preposition de when you mention what is causing the happiness. While in English we say "glad about" or "glad for," in Spanish you must use alegrarse de.

Why is there a se before alegra?

It changes the meaning of the verb. The standard verb alegrar means "to make someone else happy." But when you want to say that the person themselves is happy or glad, you use the reflexive form alegrarse. Since the mother is the one feeling glad, we use the third-person reflexive pronoun se.

In English I can say "My mother says she is glad." Can I drop the que in Spanish?

No, you cannot drop the que here. In English, we often skip the word "that" in sentences like this. However, in Spanish, when you connect two phrases like "My mother says" and "she is glad," you must always include the connecting word que.

Why do we use esta instead of este for "this relationship"?