Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): También es injusto cuando alguien dice algo incómodo en clase. - It is also unfair when someone says something uncomfortable in class.

At the beginning (very common):
- También es injusto cuando alguien dice algo incómodo en clase.
After the verb or at the end (less neutral, more emphatic):
- Es injusto también cuando alguien dice algo incómodo en clase.
- Es injusto cuando alguien dice algo incómodo en clase también.

All are grammatically correct. Starting with también is the most typical neutral option in written Spanish.

Why is it es injusto and not está injusto?

In Spanish, ser and estar are used differently with adjectives:

ser injusto = to be unjust / unfair by nature or in general
estar injusto is basically not used. With justo/injusto, Spanish almost always uses ser, because we’re talking about a judgment or evaluation, not a temporary state.

So:

Es injusto cuando... = It is unfair when... (in general, as a rule or evaluation).

You could also say:

No es justo cuando alguien dice algo incómodo en clase.
(It’s not fair when someone says something uncomfortable in class.)

That version is very common, but the meaning is essentially the same as es injusto.

What is the subject of es in También es injusto...? There’s no noun like “it”.

In Spanish, this is an impersonal structure:

(También) es injusto cuando...
= It is also unfair when...

There’s no explicit subject like English it. Grammatically, you can think of a “dummy” subject similar to English it, but Spanish simply doesn’t express it.

You do not need to say Eso es injusto cuando... here. That would sound more like “That is unfair when...” referring to a specific thing already mentioned.

Why is it cuando alguien dice (indicative) and not cuando alguien diga (subjunctive)?

Cuando + indicative vs cuando + subjunctive depends on meaning:

Cuando + indicative → general facts, habitual actions, things seen as real:
- Es injusto cuando alguien dice algo incómodo en clase.
  = It’s unfair when someone says something uncomfortable in class (whenever that happens).
Cuando + subjunctive → future, hypothetical, not yet realized:
- Será injusto cuando alguien diga algo incómodo en clase.
  = It will be unfair when someone says something uncomfortable in class (at some future point).

In your sentence, we’re talking about a general situation that happens (or can happen) in reality, so the indicative dice is the natural choice.

Could I say Es injusto que alguien diga algo incómodo en clase instead? What’s the difference?

Yes, that sentence is correct, but the structure and nuance change:

Es injusto cuando alguien dice algo incómodo en clase.
- Uses cuando + indicative.
- Sounds like a general statement about a type of situation:
  When that happens, it’s unfair.
Es injusto que alguien diga algo incómodo en clase.
- Uses que + subjunctive (diga) after es injusto que...
- Focuses more on the action itself (someone saying something uncomfortable) as something you judge to be unfair.

Both mean roughly the same in everyday speech, but:

cuando + dice: “In the moments when this happens, that’s unfair.”
que + diga: “The fact that someone says this is unfair.”

Why is it algo incómodo and not algo incómoda? Shouldn’t it agree with clase, which is feminine?

Incómodo is agreeing with algo, not with clase.

algo is an indefinite pronoun and is grammatically masculine singular.
So the adjective must be masculine singular too: algo incómodo.

Structure:

alguien (someone) → subject
dice (says) → verb
algo incómodo (something uncomfortable) → direct object (what is said)
en clase (in class) → place

Clase is feminine, but incómodo doesn’t describe clase; it describes algo (the “something” that is being said).

If you wanted to refer to clase with an adjective, you would say, for example:

una clase incómoda = an uncomfortable/awkward class.

What is the difference between incómodo and embarazoso? Both can mean “uncomfortable” or “embarrassing”, right?

Both can overlap but they’re not identical:

incómodo
- Literally: uncomfortable.
- Can be physical: una silla incómoda (an uncomfortable chair).
- Or emotional/social: una situación incómoda (an awkward situation).
- In your sentence, algo incómodo = something awkward / that makes people feel uneasy.
embarazoso
- Means embarrassing, awkward in the sense of “causing embarrassment, shame”.
- Common with situations or topics: un momento embarazoso, una pregunta embarazosa.

Important false friend:

embarazada = pregnant, not “embarrassed”.

To say “I am embarrassed” in Spain, people normally use:

Me da vergüenza.
Estoy avergonzado/a.

Why is it en clase and not en la clase?

Both are possible, but they’re used slightly differently:

en clase (without article)
- Very common to mean “in class” in a general sense (during lessons).
- Focus is on the activity of having class, not the specific room.
- En clase no se habla. = You don’t talk in class.
en la clase (with article)
- Refers more to a specific class or group, or can sound a bit more concrete:
  - En la clase de matemáticas hay 20 alumnos.
  - En la clase de ayer pasó algo raro.

In your sentence, en clase sounds natural because you mean “during class / during lessons” in general, not one specific class.

How does alguien work? Can it be plural, like “some people”?

Alguien means someone / somebody and:

It is always singular. There is no plural “alguienes”.
It refers to an unspecified person.

Examples:

Alguien llama a la puerta. = Someone is knocking at the door.
¿Hay alguien en casa? = Is there anyone at home?

For the idea of “some people”, Spanish typically uses:

algunas personas
alguna gente (less common; usually just la gente for “people”)

So:

Es injusto cuando alguien dice algo incómodo en clase.
= It’s unfair when someone says something uncomfortable in class.

If you wanted “some people”, you might say:

Es injusto cuando algunas personas dicen cosas incómodas en clase.

Why is it cuando and not si? In English we often say “if someone says something uncomfortable in class”.

Spanish distinguishes more clearly between:

cuando = when / whenever (time idea)
si = if (condition)

Your sentence is talking about any time this happens, as a general situation, so cuando is the natural choice:

Es injusto cuando alguien dice algo incómodo en clase.
= It’s unfair when/whenever someone says something uncomfortable in class.

If you said:

Es injusto si alguien dice algo incómodo en clase.

it would sound more like a condition: It would be unfair if someone said something uncomfortable in class (under that condition). It’s not wrong, but the nuance shifts to a more conditional/hypothetical feel.

Can I change the word order, like cuando alguien dice algo incómodo en clase, también es injusto?

Yes. Spanish allows quite a bit of flexibility in word order, especially with clauses. These are all correct:

También es injusto cuando alguien dice algo incómodo en clase.
Cuando alguien dice algo incómodo en clase, también es injusto.

The meaning is the same; the second version just places more emphasis on the situation (“when someone says something uncomfortable in class”) by putting it first.

Within the clause alguien dice algo incómodo en clase, you generally keep:

subject (alguien) → verb (dice) → object (algo incómodo) → extra info (en clase)

You would not normally say:

✗ Cuando alguien dice en clase algo incómodo

It’s not impossible, but it sounds less natural and slightly clumsy. The most natural is:

Cuando alguien dice algo incómodo en clase.