Esa jugada es difícil pero divertida.

to be

Breakdown of Esa jugada es difícil pero divertida.

• divertido: fun
• pero: but
• difícil: difficult

Questions & Answers about Esa jugada es difícil pero divertida.

Why is it esa jugada and not esta jugada or aquella jugada?

Spanish has three basic demonstratives:

• esta = this (near the speaker)
• esa = that (near the listener or not very far)
• aquella = that (over there) (far from both speaker and listener, or more “distant” in time / context)

So:

• Esa jugada: that move/play we were just talking about, or that you just did, or that is a bit away from me.
• Esta jugada: this move/play I’m doing or that’s very close to me right now.
• Aquella jugada: that move/play from long ago, or far away, or more emotionally “distant”.

The sentence uses esa because the speaker is probably referring to a specific move that is known in the conversation but not “right here right now” in the speaker’s immediate space.

What exactly does jugada mean, and why is it feminine?

Jugada is a noun, and it is feminine (it ends in -a and its article/demonstratives are feminine: la jugada, esta/esa/aquella jugada).

Its main meanings:

• In sports or games: a move / a play / a specific action
  
  • e.g. a chess move, a football (soccer) play, a risky move in a game.
• Sometimes figuratively: a move or maneuver in life, business, politics
  
  • e.g. Fue una buena jugada = It was a good move (strategy).

It is different from:

• juego: the game itself (the activity or match as a whole)
• partido: a match (football match, tennis match, etc.)

So:

• Esa jugada = that specific move or play, not the whole game/match.