Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): El retraso del tren no es un problema para mí. - The train’s delay is not a problem for me.

El retraso = the delay (a specific, known delay)
Un retraso = a delay (any delay, not specific)
Retraso (no article) is much less common in this kind of sentence and often sounds incomplete or generic in Spanish.

Here, we’re talking about the particular delay of this train, so El retraso del tren (the train’s delay / the delay of the train) is natural.

What is del in del tren? Why not de el tren?

Del is a contraction of de + el.

de = of / from
el = the (masculine singular)
de + el → del

So:

de el tren ✅ grammatically intended, but never written like this
del tren ✅ correct, required form

You only contract with el (masculine singular article), not with él (he) or other forms:

de él (of him) does not become del.

Why is it retraso and not tarde or tardanza?

They’re related but not interchangeable:

retraso = delay (the fact that something is late, often scheduled things: trains, flights, meetings)
- El retraso del tren = the train’s delay
tarde = late (adjective/adverb, not a noun here)
- El tren llega tarde = the train arrives late
tardanza = tardiness (more formal/literary; less common in everyday speech for trains)

For a train delay, retraso is the normal word in Spain.

Why is it no es and not no está?

Both ser and estar translate as to be, but they’re used differently.

Here we classify the delay as something:

El retraso del tren no es un problema…
→ es (ser) is used for:
- identity
- classification
- inherent characteristics

Using estar (no está un problema) would be incorrect here.
You might use estar with problema in other structures, e.g.:

El problema está en el retraso del tren.
("The problem lies in the train’s delay.")

Why is it un problema and not una problema?

Problema is grammatically masculine, even though it ends in -a.

It belongs to a group of Greek-origin nouns that are masculine in Spanish:

el problema
el sistema
el tema
el programa

So you must say:

un problema, el problema, este problema (all masculine forms).

Can I say El retraso del tren no es problema para mí without un?

You can say no es problema in informal speech, and it’s understood as it’s no problem.

Differences:

no es un problema → neutral, standard
no es problema → slightly more colloquial, a bit more general

Both are acceptable; no es un problema is the safest and most textbook-friendly version.

Why is it para mí and not para yo?

After prepositions (like para, de, a, con), Spanish uses tonic pronouns, not subject pronouns.

So you say:

para mí (for me), not para yo
para ti (for you, informal), not para tú
para él / para ella (for him / her)

Subject pronouns:

yo, tú, él… are for subjects:
- Yo hablo. (I speak) Preposition + pronoun:
para mí, de ti, a él, etc.

Why does mí have an accent, but mi in mi casa doesn’t?

They are different words:

mí (with accent) = me (after a preposition)
- para mí, de mí, sin mí
mi (no accent) = my (possessive adjective)
- mi casa, mi tren, mi problema

The accent on mí distinguishes it from mi to avoid confusion in writing.

Could I say Para mí, el retraso del tren no es un problema? Is the word order flexible?

Yes, that is perfectly correct and very natural:

Para mí, el retraso del tren no es un problema.
El retraso del tren, para mí, no es un problema. (more marked)
El retraso del tren no es un problema para mí. (original version)

Spanish allows some flexibility in word order for emphasis.
Putting para mí at the beginning emphasizes “as far as I’m concerned” / “in my opinion”.

Why is the preposition para used and not a or de?

Para often expresses:

purpose
destination
benefit / recipient

Here, para mí means for me / from my point of view / as far as I’m concerned.

Other prepositions would change the meaning:

a mí usually goes with verbs like gustar, molestar, preocupar:
- A mí no me molesta el retraso. (The delay doesn’t bother me.)
de mí means of/about/from me:
- No es problema de mí. → unnatural; you’d say no es problema mío.

How would I say it in the plural: “Train delays are not a problem for me”?

You’d pluralize both the subject and the verb:

Los retrasos de los trenes no son un problema para mí.

Or, more naturally:

Los retrasos de los trenes no son un problema para mí.
Los retrasos de los trenes no son un problema para mí en absoluto.
(Train delays are not a problem for me at all.)

Note:

los retrasos (plural of el retraso)
los trenes (plural of el tren)
Verb agrees with los retrasos: no son, not no es.

Are there common synonyms I might hear instead of problema in Spain?

Yes, you might hear:

El retraso del tren no es un inconveniente para mí.
El retraso del tren no supone ningún problema para mí.
El retraso del tren no me importa. (less literal: “I don’t mind the train being late.”)
El retraso del tren no me supone ningún problema.

Problema is the most straightforward and common, but inconveniente and structures with suponer are very common in Peninsular Spanish.