Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Está claro que o exame é difícil.

É claro que o exame é difícil.
– more general, stating a fact: It is clear (as a general truth) that the exam is difficult.
Está claro que o exame é difícil.
– slightly more situational: It is (now / at this point / in this context) clear that the exam is difficult.

In everyday speech, though, the difference is often small and both are acceptable. In European Portuguese, you’ll hear both, with É claro que… maybe a bit more common in more formal or written language, and Está claro que… sounding a bit more immediate or contextual.

Who or what is the subject of Está claro?

Grammatically, the subject is the whole clause que o exame é difícil.

You can think of it like English “That the exam is difficult is clear.”
Portuguese usually prefers the “extraposed” version:

Está claro (main clause)
que o exame é difícil (subordinate clause functioning as the subject)

So:

Que o exame é difícil está claro. – is the fully “logical” word order, but sounds quite heavy and is rarely used in everyday speech.
Está claro que o exame é difícil. – natural, normal sentence.

Does claro change for gender or number here? Could I say Está clara?

Claro is an adjective and normally agrees with the noun it refers to:

uma resposta clara – a clear answer (feminine singular)
respostas claras – clear answers (feminine plural)

In Está claro que o exame é difícil, the adjective refers to the entire idea que o exame é difícil, which is grammatically treated as masculine singular by default. That’s why you get claro (masculine singular).

You would not say Está clara que o exame é difícil in this structure.
You would only use clara if the adjective clearly referred to a feminine noun:

A situação está clara. – The situation is clear.
A resposta está clara. – The answer is clear.

Why is it o exame and not just exame without the article?

In European Portuguese, definite articles (o, a, os, as) are used more often than in English.

O exame here suggests a specific exam that speaker and listener both know about (for example, the exam you just took, the final exam, etc.).

Compare:

O exame é difícil. – The exam is difficult (a known, specific one).
Um exame é difícil. – An exam is difficult (some exam, not specific).
Exame é difícil. – This sounds very odd or incomplete in Portuguese; you normally need an article.

So o exame is natural and expected in this sentence.

Why is it o exame é difícil and not o exame está difícil?

This is the ser vs. estar contrast:

é difícil (with ser) describes an inherent or typical characteristic of the exam:
→ The exam (by its nature / generally) is difficult.
está difícil (with estar) describes a temporary or specific state:
→ The exam is being difficult (this time / right now).

In the sentence Está claro que o exame é difícil, the speaker is stating a general characteristic of that exam, not talking only about a temporary impression, so é difícil is the natural choice.

Does Está claro que… always take the indicative (é difícil) and not the subjunctive?

Yes. Está claro que… expresses certainty. In Portuguese, clause-introducing expressions that indicate certainty normally take the indicative:

Está claro que o exame é difícil.
É óbvio que ele sabe a resposta.
É certo que eles vêm amanhã.

You would use the subjunctive after expressions of doubt, possibility, probability, emotion, desire, etc.:

Duvido que o exame seja difícil.
É possível que o exame seja difícil.

So with Está claro que…, you keep é difícil in the indicative.

Are there other common ways to say the same idea in European Portuguese?

Yes, several expressions are very common:

É claro que o exame é difícil.
É óbvio que o exame é difícil. – It’s obvious that…
É evidente que o exame é difícil. – It’s evident that…
Não há dúvida de que o exame é difícil. – There’s no doubt that…

They all express certainty, with slightly different emphases (from more neutral é claro to stronger é óbvio / é evidente).

What is the natural word order? Can I move parts around?

The natural, neutral order is:

Está claro que o exame é difícil.

Some rearrangements are grammatically possible but sound artificial or emphatic:

Que o exame é difícil está claro. – grammatically correct, but very heavy and rarely used in normal conversation.
Está claro que difícil é o exame. – technically possible, but very marked; it strongly emphasizes difícil, sounding almost poetic or theatrical.

For normal speech and writing, stick to:

Está claro que o exame é difícil.

How do you pronounce this sentence in European Portuguese?

Approximate IPA for European Portuguese:

Está claro que o exame é difícil.
/ʃˈta ˈklaɾu kɨ u ɨˈzɐm(ɨ) ɛ d̪iˈfisil/

Key points:

Está – es- is reduced; you mostly hear [ʃta].
claro – stress on cla: [ˈklaɾu].
que – often very reduced: [kɨ], almost like a very short “k” with a schwa.
o (article) – often [u].
exame – stress on -xa-: [ɨˈzɐm(ɨ)]; the final e is a weak [ɨ] or almost silent depending on the speaker.
difícil – stress on fí: [d̪iˈfisil]; final l is dark/velar [ɫ] in many accents.

What does the accent on Está and difícil tell me?

Accents in Portuguese mainly mark stress and sometimes vowel quality.

Está
- The accent on á shows that the stress is on the last syllable: es-TÁ.
- Without the accent (esta), it would be the demonstrative esta (this, feminine), stressed on the first syllable: ES-ta.
difícil
- The accent on í shows that the stress is on -fí-: di-FÍ-cil.
- Without it (dificil), the default stress rules would put the stress on the second-to-last syllable (di-FI-cil), which is not correct here.

So accents help you both pronounce and distinguish words correctly.