Breakdown of Es inútil que me enfade tanto por un pequeño error.
Questions & Answers about Es inútil que me enfade tanto por un pequeño error.
Because es inútil que… expresses a judgment about a situation, Spanish normally requires the subjunctive in the clause that follows.
Pattern:
- Es + adjetivo + que + subjuntivo
- Es inútil que me enfade tanto…
- Es bueno que vengas temprano.
- Es malo que fume tanto.
If you used the indicative (Es inútil que me enfado tanto), it would sound clearly incorrect to a native speaker. The subjunctive (me enfade) signals that this is not just a neutral fact, but a situation being evaluated as “useless / pointless / not worth it.”
Enfadarse means “to get angry,” and it’s usually used reflexively when you’re talking about becoming angry yourself.
- Me enfado / me enfadé / me enfade = I get / got / (that I) get angry.
- Non‑reflexive enfadar often means “to annoy someone”:
- Ese ruido me enfada. = That noise annoys me.
In your sentence:
- que me enfade = “that I get angry”
- It focuses on your emotional reaction, not on someone or something enfading you.
If you dropped the reflexive:
- Es inútil que enfade tanto por un pequeño error ❌ This is incorrect; enfadar without se doesn’t mean “to get angry (oneself).”
Yes, that sentence is correct too, and very natural.
You have two common options:
Es inútil que me enfade tanto…
- Structure: Es + adjetivo + que + subjuntivo
- Slightly more formal/abstract feel: “It is pointless that I get so angry…”
Es inútil enfadarme tanto…
- Structure: Es + adjetivo + infinitivo
- More direct: “It’s pointless to get so angry…”
Meaning-wise in this context, they’re almost the same. The infinitive version (enfadarme) feels a bit more like a general statement about your own behavior; que me enfade sounds more like referring to a specific reaction or situation, but the difference is subtle.
Because Spanish moves object/reflexive pronouns depending on the verb form:
With a conjugated verb, pronouns go before:
- que me enfade
- me enfado, me voy, se levanta
With an infinitive, gerund, or affirmative imperative, pronouns are usually attached to the end:
- enfadarme
- estar enfadándome
- cálmate
So:
- Es inútil que me enfade… (conjugated → me goes before)
- Es inútil enfadarme… (infinitive → me attaches to the end)
tanto and muy are not interchangeable:
tanto (so much, so many)
Used with verbs and nouns:- No deberías comer tanto. = You shouldn’t eat so much.
- No tengo tanto dinero. = I don’t have that much money.
muy (very)
Used with adjectives and adverbs:- Estoy muy enfadado. = I am very angry.
- Conduce muy rápido. = He drives very fast.
In your sentence:
- me enfade tanto = “I get so angry / so much”
- You’re intensifying the action of getting angry, so tanto is correct.
- me enfade muy ❌ would be wrong here.
You could say:
- Es inútil que esté tan/muy enfadado… = It’s pointless that I am so/very angry… but then you change the verb and structure.
Here por expresses the cause or reason for getting angry.
Common uses:
- por = because of, due to
- Estoy triste por la noticia. = I’m sad because of the news.
- Me castigaron por llegar tarde. = I was punished for arriving late.
In your sentence:
- por un pequeño error = “because of a small mistake”
Using:
- para un pequeño error ❌ → would suggest purpose/goal, not cause.
- de un pequeño error is not natural in this context either.
So por is the standard preposition to indicate the reason for the anger.
Both are grammatically correct, but the position of the adjective can slightly change the nuance:
un pequeño error
- More common here.
- Sounds like “a minor / small, unimportant mistake” as a general quality.
- Used a lot for subjective, evaluative adjectives.
un error pequeño
- Places a bit more neutral focus on the size/degree of the error, almost more “literal.”
- Can sound a bit less idiomatic in this specific phrase, though it’s not wrong.
In everyday speech, un pequeño error is the natural collocation when you mean “just a small/insignificant mistake.”
Yes, but there are regional and register differences:
enfadar(se)
- Very common and standard, especially in Spain.
- Neutral in tone.
enojar(se)
- More frequent in Latin America than in Spain.
- In Spain, it tends to sound more formal or less common in everyday speech.
cabrear(se)
- Colloquial/slang, mainly in Spain.
- Stronger and more informal, like “to piss off / to really tick off.”
- Es inútil que me cabree tanto por un pequeño error. (informal, more intense anger)
So for standard Peninsular Spanish, enfadar(se) is the safest and most neutral choice in your sentence.
Yes, yo is implied.
Spanish is a “pro‑drop” language: subject pronouns (yo, tú, él…) are often omitted because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.
- que me enfade clearly indicates first person singular:
- me enfade → only possible subject is yo.
- Adding yo is usually only for emphasis or contrast:
- Es inútil que yo me enfade tanto por un pequeño error.
= I’m the one who shouldn’t get so angry (maybe others do).
- Es inútil que yo me enfade tanto por un pequeño error.
In neutral sentences like yours, leaving yo out is more natural.
Your original sentence describes a general judgment about the action (getting so angry over a small error), not a specific past event, so present subjunctive (me enfade) is fine even if you’re thinking of your usual behavior.
If you want to clearly refer to a specific past reaction, you’d typically change the verb:
Es inútil que me haya enfadado tanto por un pequeño error.
= It’s pointless that I have gotten so angry over a small mistake.
(present judgment about a completed, recent action → present perfect subjunctive)Era inútil que me enfadara tanto por un pequeño error.
= It was pointless that I got so angry over a small mistake.
(talking from a past point of view → imperfect subjunctive)
So:
- Es inútil que me enfade… → general / current habit or tendency.
- Es inútil que me haya enfadado… → a specific past outburst you now judge.
- Era inútil que me enfadara… → describing it from a past context.