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Es común quejarse cuando las cosas se ponen difíciles, pero siempre hay soluciones.

Es común quejarse cuando las cosas se ponen difíciles, pero siempre hay soluciones.
It is common to complain when things get difficult, but there are always solutions.
FromLesson 9inHardcore Spanish (Latin America)

Breakdown of Es común quejarse cuando las cosas se ponen difíciles, pero siempre hay soluciones.

ser
to be
cuando
when
las
the
difícil
difficult
siempre
always
la solución
the solution
pero
but
la cosa
the thing
común
common
quejarse
to complain
ponerse
to get

Questions & Answers about Es común quejarse cuando las cosas se ponen difíciles, pero siempre hay soluciones.

Why does the sentence use the reflexive form quejarse instead of quejar?
In Spanish, the verb quejarse is reflexive, meaning it is used with the pronoun se to indicate that the subject is performing the action on itself. Essentially, quejarse translates more accurately to "to complain" (literally "to complain oneself") rather than using a plain verb form that doesn't reflect who is doing the complaining.
What is the function of se ponen here, and why not just say están difíciles?
The verb poner (in its reflexive form ponerse) conveys a change of state or condition. In this context, se ponen difíciles suggests that the things become difficult over time (a change from not-difficult to difficult). If you used están difíciles, it would sound more static, simply stating that they "are difficult" without highlighting the transition.
Why do we say las cosas instead of just cosas?
Using las before cosas makes the statement more specific, referring to "the things" in general life contexts that become challenging. In Spanish, it's common to use definite articles (el, la, los, las) where English might omit them. Saying las cosas can sound more natural in Spanish because it treats these "things" as a general category of situations or events.
Could pero siempre hay soluciones be translated literally as "but always there are solutions"?
A literal translation would be "but always there are solutions," which is understandable, but in English we normally say "but there are always solutions." The Spanish construction uses hay, which means "there is/there are," so it's simply a natural way to express it.
Is there another way to say cuando las cosas se ponen difíciles?
Yes. You could use cuando las cosas se vuelven difíciles or cuando las cosas se hacen difíciles, but se ponen difíciles is more common for expressing a change in condition. Each verb has a slightly different nuance, but none of them change the general meaning of the sentence.
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“How does verb conjugation work in Spanish?”
Spanish verbs change form based on the subject, tense, and mood. Regular verbs follow predictable patterns depending on whether they end in ‑ar, ‑er, or ‑ir. For example, "hablar" (to speak) becomes "hablo" (I speak), "hablas" (you speak), and "habla" (he/she speaks) in the present tense.

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