La tarea es difícil.

to be

Breakdown of La tarea es difícil.

• difícil: difficult
• la tarea: the assignment

Questions & Answers about La tarea es difícil.

Why does Spanish use es here and not está?

In Spanish, es (from ser) is generally used to describe permanent or characteristic qualities. Saying La tarea es difícil suggests the difficulty is an inherent trait of the homework. By contrast, está (from estar) can imply a temporary state or condition, so La tarea está difícil might suggest that the homework is difficult at this particular moment, but could change.

Why is it la tarea instead of el tarea or another article?

In Spanish, tarea is a feminine noun, so it takes the feminine article la. Nouns ending in -a are often, though not always, feminine. Words like el problema are exceptions, but tarea follows the common rule.

Does difícil change form when describing masculine or plural nouns?

Difícil is an adjective that does not change depending on gender, but it does change in the plural:
• Masculine singular: difícil (e.g. El examen es difícil.)
• Feminine singular: difícil (e.g. La tarea es difícil.)
• Plural (masculine or feminine): difíciles (e.g. Los exámenes son difíciles. Las tareas son difíciles.)

In Spanish (Spain), is there a difference between tarea and deberes?

In Spain, deberes is often used to refer to homework assigned by a teacher, while tarea can mean any type of task or assignment (not only homework). However, in many contexts, tarea and deberes may be used interchangeably to mean school homework.

How should I pronounce difícil correctly?

The stress is on the second syllable: di-FI-cil. The i in the stressed syllable is a strong, clear vowel, and the c before i is pronounced like the English th in thin in most parts of Spain (the Castilian pronunciation). So you would say dee-FEE-thil (Castilian) or dee-FEE-seel in Latin American pronunciation.