É sempre difícil escolher entre bolo e pão.

It is always difficult to choose between cake and bread.

Breakdown of É sempre difícil escolher entre bolo e pão.

• ser: to be
• o pão: the bread
• o bolo: the cake
• e: and

Questions & Answers about É sempre difícil escolher entre bolo e pão.

What does É mean in this sentence, and why is there no explicit subject?

É is the third person singular of the verb ser, which means is or it is. Portuguese often uses impersonal constructions for general statements, so there isn’t a need for an explicit subject; the sentence simply states a general truth.

How does the adverb sempre function in this sentence?

Sempre means always. It modifies the entire statement, indicating that the difficulty in choosing is not just occasional but a constant or recurring situation.

Why is the infinitive escolher used after the adjective difícil, and what does it mean?

Escolher means to choose. In Portuguese, it is common to use an infinitive after an adjective like difícil (difficult) to describe an action. This construction is similar to saying, "It is difficult to choose..." in English, where the infinitive expresses a general idea rather than a specific, tense-bound action.

What is the role of the preposition entre, and how should we understand the phrase entre bolo e pão?

The preposition entre translates to between. In this sentence, it introduces the two alternatives—bolo (cake) and pão (bread)—between which one must choose, thereby emphasizing the notion of a difficult decision.