Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): A veces es difícil equilibrar el tiempo libre con las responsabilidades de la familia. - Sometimes it is difficult to balance free time with family responsibilities.

All are correct; moving a veces just changes the rhythm or emphasis slightly, not the basic meaning. Beginning with A veces sounds very natural and is probably the most typical choice.

Why is it es difícil and not está difícil?

With adjectives like difícil, Spanish usually uses ser (es difícil) when talking about a general characteristic of an action or situation, not a temporary state.

Es difícil equilibrar… = In general, this is a difficult thing to do.
Está difícil is used much less and usually with more concrete, situational things (e.g. La situación está difícil = the situation is tough right now).

So here, we’re making a general statement, so es difícil is the natural choice.

Why is equilibrar in the infinitive? Could it be conjugated like equilibro?

In this sentence, equilibrar el tiempo libre con las responsabilidades de la familia is acting as the subject of the verb es:

[Equilibrar el tiempo libre con las responsabilidades de la familia] es difícil.

Spanish normally uses the infinitive as a noun-like form when an action is the subject (similar to English "balancing … is difficult").

You would not conjugate it here ("Equilibro el tiempo libre… es difícil") because that would break the structure [infinitive] + es difícil.

Is equilibrar the only verb I can use, or could I say something else like balancear or compaginar?

Equilibrar is fine and clear. Other options:

Compaginar el tiempo libre con las responsabilidades de la familia – very common and natural in Spain when talking about combining different areas of life (work/family/free time).
Conciliar la vida familiar y el tiempo libre / el tiempo personal – also very common in Spain, especially with work–life balance.
Balancear exists, but in Spain it’s less common in this kind of “life balance” context; equilibrar or compaginar sound more idiomatic.

So your sentence is correct, but a very natural “Peninsular” alternative would be:
A veces es difícil compaginar el tiempo libre con las responsabilidades de la familia.

Why do we say el tiempo libre with el? Could it just be tiempo libre?

Spanish often uses the definite article (el, la, los, las) before abstract or general nouns where English doesn’t.

El tiempo libre here means “(one’s) free time in general,” not specific free time on a particular day.

You can say tiempo libre without el in some contexts, but with general statements like this, el tiempo libre is more typical and sounds more complete and natural.

Could the sentence mean “my free time” or “our free time” even though it doesn’t say mi or nuestro?

Yes. In Spanish, a general statement like equilibrar el tiempo libre con las responsabilidades de la familia is often understood as referring to one’s free time and one’s family responsibilities, including the speaker (and possibly others).

If you want to make it explicit, you could say:

A veces es difícil equilibrar mi tiempo libre con mis responsabilidades familiares.
A veces es difícil equilibrar nuestro tiempo libre con nuestras responsabilidades familiares.

But it’s not necessary; the original feels naturally inclusive/generic.

Why do we use con and not y between el tiempo libre and las responsabilidades de la familia?

Con here reflects the idea of balancing one thing *with another*, not just listing them:

equilibrar X con Y = to balance X with Y.

If you used y (equilibrar el tiempo libre y las responsabilidades de la familia), it would sound more like you are balancing ”both of them together” against some third element.

So equilibrar X con Y is the standard pattern for this meaning.

Why are responsabilidades and las plural? Could it be singular la responsabilidad de la familia?

Plural las responsabilidades suggests there are several different duties/obligations related to the family (children, partner, housework, caring for relatives, etc.). That’s normally how people think of “family responsibilities.”

You could say la responsabilidad de la familia, but that sounds more like one single, vague responsibility, or the concept of having a responsibility to the family. It’s less natural in everyday speech for this idea.

Why is it las responsabilidades de la familia and not responsabilidades familiares?

Both are possible, but they have slightly different flavors:

las responsabilidades de la familia = literally “the responsibilities of the family” – very clear and concrete.
las responsabilidades familiares = “family responsibilities” using an adjective; sounds a bit more formal or compact.

A very natural alternative (especially in Spain) would be:

las responsabilidades familiares
or
las responsabilidades con la familia (responsibilities towards the family).

Your original version is completely correct and idiomatic.

What is the role of de la familia here? Could it be para la familia instead?

De la familia shows possession or relation: responsibilities of the family / that come from family life.

Para la familia would change the meaning slightly: responsibilities for the family (i.e. things you do for them, like working to support them). It’s not wrong, but it’s more specific.

De la familia is broader and matches the English idea of “family responsibilities” in general.

Is difícil agreeing with anything in gender or number? Why doesn’t it change form?

Difícil is one of those adjectives that has the same form for masculine and feminine, and only changes for plural:

singular: difícil
plural: difíciles

Here, the “thing” described as difficult is the whole infinitive phrase equilibrar el tiempo libre con las responsabilidades de la familia, which is treated as singular. So we use the singular form difícil. There’s no gender change because difícil doesn’t have separate masculine/feminine forms in the singular.

Could I say Equilibrar el tiempo libre con las responsabilidades de la familia es difícil a veces instead? Is that still natural?

Yes, that’s perfectly correct and natural.

Two very natural word orders are:

A veces es difícil equilibrar el tiempo libre con las responsabilidades de la familia.
Equilibrar el tiempo libre con las responsabilidades de la familia es difícil a veces.

The meaning is the same; the difference is just where you place the focus and rhythm. Starting with A veces slightly emphasizes the frequency; starting with Equilibrar… emphasizes the action first.

Is the sentence talking about a specific person, like “I” or “we”? Why is there no subject like yo or nosotros?

The sentence uses an impersonal structure:

Es difícil + [infinitive] = “It is difficult to [do something].”

Spanish doesn’t need a subject like yo or nosotros here; the structure is more like English “it’s difficult to…”, but without the “it”.

If you really wanted to include the idea of “for us,” you could say:

A veces es difícil para nosotros equilibrar el tiempo libre con las responsabilidades de la familia.

But the neutral impersonal version is more typical.

Is this sentence natural in Spain, or would people usually phrase it differently?

The sentence as written is natural and fully correct in Spain.

A very common “purely Peninsular” variant you’ll also hear is:

A veces es difícil compaginar el tiempo libre con las responsabilidades familiares.

But your original A veces es difícil equilibrar el tiempo libre con las responsabilidades de la familia sounds completely normal in everyday European Spanish.