El verbo en la lección es difícil.

The verb in the lesson is difficult.

Breakdown of El verbo en la lección es difícil.

• ser: to be
• en: in
• la lección: the lesson
• difícil: difficult
• el verbo: the verb

Questions & Answers about El verbo en la lección es difícil.

Why is verbo preceded by El instead of La?

In Spanish, verbo is a masculine noun, so it is paired with the masculine article El. Nouns in Spanish can be either masculine or feminine, and the article (El/La) must match the gender of the noun.

Why do we say en la lección rather than something like de la lección?

Using en indicates that the verb is in the lesson. If you used de, it would convey the idea of something belonging to or originating from the lesson. In English, this difference can be thought of as in the lesson vs. of the lesson.

Why is es used instead of está?

In Spanish, ser (conjugated here as es) often describes essential or permanent characteristics. Saying El verbo en la lección es difícil tells us that being difficult is an inherent quality of that verb, at least in the context of this lesson. If you used está, it would suggest a temporary condition, which isn’t typical when describing the overall difficulty of a concept.

Why does difícil remain in the singular form?

Because verbo (the word being described) is singular. Adjectives in Spanish generally agree in number with the noun they modify. Here, since there is only one verb, the adjective difícil stays in its singular form.

Is difícil affected by masculine or feminine nouns?

No. Difícil has the same form for both masculine and feminine nouns; it only changes form if it becomes plural (difíciles). The word difícil itself does not differentiate between masculine and feminine.