Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Puede que la política parezca complicada, pero entender lo básico de la economía nos ayuda a tomar mejores decisiones. - Politics may seem complicated, but understanding the basics of the economy helps us make better decisions.

Puede que is a very common way to say “it may be that / it might be that / maybe” in Spanish. It is almost always followed by a verb in the subjunctive.

Puede que la política parezca complicada ≈ “Politics may seem complicated.”
Puede que venga mañana. = “He/She may come tomorrow.”

You could also say:

Es posible que la política parezca complicada.
Puede ser que la política parezca complicada.

All of these express possibility. Puede que is just a shorter, very natural colloquial option. Using only puede without que would change the meaning:

La política puede parecer complicada. = “Politics can seem complicated” (more “can” than “might”).

Why is it parezca and not parece after puede que?

Because puede que triggers the subjunctive. In Spanish, certain expressions that show doubt, possibility, or uncertainty are followed by the subjunctive:

Puede que + subjunctive
Es posible que + subjunctive
Tal vez / quizá + subjunctive (often)

So:

Puede que la política parezca complicada (correct)
❌ Puede que la política parece complicada (incorrect)

You would use parece (indicative) in sentences without that kind of doubt structure:

La política parece complicada. = “Politics seems complicated.” (a more direct statement)

Why do we say la política with the article la here?

In Spanish, when talking about a field in general (politics, history, medicine, etc.), it is very common—and often more natural—to use the definite article:

La política es complicada. = “Politics is complicated.”
La historia es fascinante. = “History is fascinating.”
La medicina ha avanzado mucho. = “Medicine has advanced a lot.”

So la política here means “politics (in general)”. You can sometimes omit the article in certain structures (e.g. estudiar política = “to study politics”), but after que introducing a clause, la política is the normal, natural choice.

What exactly does política mean here? Politics or policy?

In this sentence, la política means politics in general: the political system, public debates, parties, etc.

Política can mean several related things depending on context:

La política (singular, general) = politics as a field.
- Me interesa la política. = “I’m interested in politics.”
Las políticas (plural) = policies, specific political measures.
- Las políticas económicas del gobierno. = “The government’s economic policies.”
Política (adjective, with a noun) = political.
- Un partido político. = “A political party.”

Here, with puede que la política parezca complicada, it clearly refers to politics in general.

What does lo básico mean, and what is the role of lo?

Lo básico means “the basics” or “the basic stuff”.

Here, lo is a neuter article that turns an adjective (or sometimes a phrase) into an abstract noun:

lo básico = the basic part / the basic things / the basics
lo importante = the important part / what’s important
lo bueno = the good part / the good thing

So:

entender lo básico de la economía ≈ “to understand the basics of economics/the economy.”

We don’t specify masculine or feminine because lo is neutral; we are talking about the concept of “what is basic,” not a specific masculine or feminine noun.

Why is it entender lo básico de la economía and not something like entendemos?

Entender here is in the infinitive form, functioning like a noun: “understanding.” The subject of entender is general/implicit (“we/people”).

The structure is:

entender lo básico de la economía = “(the act of) understanding the basics of economics”

This whole infinitive phrase is the subject of ayuda:

Entender lo básico de la economía nos ayuda a tomar mejores decisiones.
- Literally: “To understand the basics of economics helps us to make better decisions.”

You could also say:

Si entendemos lo básico de la economía, eso nos ayuda a tomar mejores decisiones.
- Here entendemos is a finite verb (“we understand”), but it makes the sentence longer and slightly less direct.

Why is it de la economía instead of just de economía?

Both de la economía and de economía can be correct, but they have slightly different nuances.

lo básico de la economía: “the basics of the economy/economics” (more specific, referring to that field as a defined system or discipline)
lo básico de economía: “the basics of economics” (a bit more like a school subject, sometimes used in titles: curso básico de economía, clase de economía)

In this sentence, de la economía sounds more natural because we are talking about understanding the principles of the economic system in general, as a defined thing. It emphasizes “the economy” as something concrete that exists in the real world, not just a school subject.

What does nos do in nos ayuda a tomar mejores decisiones?

Nos is an object pronoun that means “us” or “to us”. It shows who is being helped.

nos ayuda = “(it) helps us”
ayudar a alguien = “to help someone”
- ayudarme = help me
- ayudarte = help you
- ayudarnos = help us

So:

Entender lo básico de la economía nos ayuda a tomar mejores decisiones.
- “Understanding the basics of economics helps us to make better decisions.”

In Latin American Spanish, nos usually refers to us / we, and it’s inclusive in a general sentence like this (“people like us / ordinary people”).

Why do we say tomar decisiones for “make decisions” instead of hacer decisiones?

In Spanish, the natural collocation is tomar decisiones, not hacer decisiones:

tomar una decisión = “to make a decision”
tomar decisiones importantes = “to make important decisions”

Other common collocations with tomar:

tomar una foto = to take a photo
tomar una medida = to take a measure
tomar un curso (in some Latin American countries) = to take a course

So tomar decisiones is just the standard, idiomatic way to say “make decisions.” Hacer decisiones sounds like a direct translation from English and is generally avoided.

Why is the adjective complicada placed after política? Could it be la política complicada?

In Spanish, adjectives usually go after the noun, especially when they are describing an objective quality:

la política complicada
un libro interesante
una ciudad grande

So la política parezca complicada is the normal word order: noun + verb + adjective.

You can say la complicada política, but that sounds more stylistic or literary and emphasizes the adjective more, often with a slightly different nuance (almost like “this damn complicated politics” or “the complex world of politics”). For a neutral, descriptive sentence like this, la política parezca complicada is the most natural structure.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? Would it sound natural in Latin America?

The sentence is neutral in tone and would sound natural in Latin American Spanish. It’s the kind of sentence you might hear in:

an educational video,
a textbook,
a podcast explaining current events,
or a conversation where someone is trying to explain something clearly.

There is nothing region-specific or slangy in:

Puede que la política parezca complicada, pero entender lo básico de la economía nos ayuda a tomar mejores decisiones.

It’s standard, clear Spanish that works across Latin America and Spain.