Breakdown of Estudiar español cada día es un reto, pero veo mi progreso poco a poco.
Questions & Answers about Estudiar español cada día es un reto, pero veo mi progreso poco a poco.
In Spanish, the infinitive can be used as a noun, similar to using -ing in English.
- Estudiar español cada día es un reto
= Studying Spanish every day is a challenge.
Here, Estudiar is the subject of the sentence (the activity of studying).
If you said:
- Estudio español cada día y es un reto, you’d be saying I study Spanish every day and it’s a challenge – now the subject is I, not the activity.
- Estoy estudiando español cada día emphasizes what you’re doing around now / these days, more like I am studying Spanish every day (these days).
Using the infinitive keeps the focus on the general activity of studying Spanish, not on the speaker personally or on the current period of time.
With verbs like hablar, estudiar, saber, Spanish often omits the article before a language:
- Estudio español. = I study Spanish.
- Hablo inglés. = I speak English.
You can say el español in some contexts, but it usually has a slightly different feel:
- El español es difícil. = Spanish (as a language) is difficult.
Here, el español is treated more like a thing / subject in a general statement.
In Estudiar español cada día, español is functioning more like a direct object of the activity, so no article is the most natural choice.
The natural, neutral order is:
- Estudiar español cada día… (infinitive + object + time expression)
Other orders can occur but sound less natural or need a particular emphasis or context:
- Estudiar cada día español… – possible, but feels a bit awkward or poetic; not how people usually say it.
- Cada día estudiar español es un reto. – this is okay; you’re emphasizing Cada día (“Every day, studying Spanish is a challenge”).
So for everyday speech, Estudiar español cada día is the best default.
Both mean every day, and in Latin America they’re largely interchangeable.
- Estudiar español cada día es un reto.
- Estudiar español todos los días es un reto.
Nuances (very subtle):
- cada día can sometimes feel a bit more individual day by day.
- todos los días can feel slightly more like a routine / all the days in general.
In practice, you can use either here without changing the meaning in any important way.
Both are correct, but they don’t mean exactly the same:
- es difícil = is difficult (focus on the difficulty)
- es un reto = is a challenge (suggests difficulty plus a sense of something to overcome or achieve)
Un reto usually has a slightly more motivating / positive tone, like “it’s hard, but it’s something I can work on and beat.”
In Spanish, nouns are either masculine or feminine, and you have to memorize their gender.
- reto is a masculine noun.
→ un reto, el reto.
So:
- Es un reto. = It’s a challenge.
- Es una tarea. (feminine noun) = It’s a task.
There’s no rule from the ending -o that guarantees masculine, but -o is very often masculine, and reto fits that pattern.
All three are grammatically correct, but they’re used differently:
- veo mi progreso = I see my progress
Simple present; states a fact or general observation. - puedo ver mi progreso = I can see my progress
Emphasizes ability/possibility rather than the simple fact. - estoy viendo mi progreso = I am seeing my progress (right now / these days)
Progressive aspect; focuses on the ongoing process.
In the original sentence, the speaker is making a general, ongoing observation, so veo mi progreso (simple present) is the natural, default choice.
The personal a is mainly used before direct objects that are people (or personified beings):
- Veo a mi amigo. = I see my friend.
- Busco a María. = I’m looking for María.
Progreso (progress) is an abstract thing, not a person, so no personal a:
- Veo mi progreso. ✅
- Veo a mi progreso. ❌ (incorrect unless you’re joking and treating “progress” as a person)
poco a poco literally means “little by little.” It expresses gradual progress or change.
In the sentence:
- veo mi progreso poco a poco
= I see my progress little by little / gradually / bit by bit.
Common uses:
- Voy mejorando poco a poco. = I’m getting better little by little.
- Poco a poco vas a entender todo. = Little by little you’re going to understand everything.
Similar expressions:
- gradualmente (more formal: gradually)
- paso a paso (step by step)
- In some Latin American varieties: de a poco.
You could, but the nuance changes:
- lentamente / despacio = slowly (focus on speed)
- Veo mi progreso lentamente. = I see my progress slowly.
- poco a poco = little by little (focus on small, gradual increments, not just slowness)
poco a poco emphasizes the idea that the progress comes in small steps, which fits the motivational tone of the sentence better than just “slowly.”
Yes, but they sound different:
- es un reto = is a challenge (noun)
- es retador / es desafiante = is challenging (adjectives)
All are understandable, but:
- es un reto and es un desafío are the most natural in everyday speech.
- retador and desafiante are used, but can sound a bit more formal, technical, or literary, depending on the region and context.
In Latin American everyday Spanish, es un reto is very common and sounds perfectly natural here.
Spanish uses the simple present more broadly than English:
- veo mi progreso can cover:
- I see my progress (in general).
- I’ve been noticing my progress (over time).
- I notice my progress.
Other options:
- he visto mi progreso = I have seen my progress
Focuses on what you have already seen up to now, more like a completed experience. - estoy viendo mi progreso = I am seeing my progress (now / these days)
Emphasizes the action as in progress at this time.
Because the sentence describes an ongoing, general situation, the simple present veo is the most natural choice.