Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Resistir el frío en la montaña es difícil. - Resisting the cold on the mountain is difficult.

In Spanish, the infinitive can act like a noun and serve as the subject of a sentence. Here, Resistir el frío en la montaña functions as one single idea (“to endure the cold on the mountain”), so we keep the verb in its base form. In English we say “To endure the cold on the mountain is difficult,” and in Spanish it’s Resistir… es difícil.

Why do we use el before frío? Can we drop the article?

Spanish uses the definite article with abstract or general concepts. When you talk about “cold” in general—el frío—you need el. Saying Resistir frío sounds odd or incomplete. It’s like saying “to endure cold” without the article in English—it just doesn’t flow naturally in Spanish.

Why is it en la montaña rather than a la montaña?

En indicates location (“in/on”), while a indicates movement toward somewhere (“to”). Here you’re describing where the enduring happens—on the mountain—so you use en la montaña.

Why do we use ser (es difícil) instead of estar difícil?

Use ser for inherent or defining characteristics. The difficulty of resisting cold is seen as an essential quality of the action, so you say es difícil. Estar difícil would suggest a temporary state or condition and is uncommon in this abstract evaluation.

Why is the verb es singular?

Its subject is the entire infinitive phrase Resistir el frío en la montaña, which is treated grammatically as one singular unit. Therefore the verb agrees in third-person singular: es.

Can we invert the sentence as Es difícil resistir el frío en la montaña? Does the meaning change?

Yes, that inversion is perfectly valid and even more common. The emphasis shifts slightly—fronting es difícil puts the difficulty up front—but the overall meaning remains “It’s difficult to endure the cold on the mountain.”

Could we replace resistir with soportar or aguantar? What’s the nuance?

All three mean “to endure,” but with nuances:
• resistir – to withstand or resist a force (stronger, more formal)
• soportar – to bear or tolerate something unpleasant
• aguantar – colloquial, to put up with or stand something
You could say Es difícil soportar el frío… or Es difícil aguantar el frío…, but resistir highlights the idea of actively standing up against the cold.

Why don’t we use the gerund resistiendo instead of the infinitive resistir?

The gerund (resistiendo) in Spanish conveys a continuous action and requires a helping verb (e.g., Estoy resistiendo…). It cannot function as the subject. To name the action itself (“resisting”), you must use the infinitive.

Why is la montaña singular? Could we say las montañas?

Using the singular la montaña often generalizes “the mountain” as an environment or setting. If you say las montañas, you’re referring to multiple specific peaks. Both are correct, but en la montaña feels more like “up in the mountains” as a concept.