Learn Spanish (Latin America): A veces es difícil obtener una beca. - Sometimes, it is difficult to get a scholarship.

After impersonal expressions like es difícil (it is difficult), es fácil (it is easy), or es importante (it is important), the following verb stays in the infinitive (the basic, unconjugated form) when we aren't specifying a particular person doing the action. Since we are talking about getting a scholarship in general, we just leave it as obtener.

Why do we use es instead of está for "it is"?

We use es (from the verb ser) here to state a general fact or a permanent characteristic about the action. We are saying that the very nature of getting a scholarship is difficult. The verb estar is typically used for temporary states, conditions, or locations.

If I wanted to use the grammar from this lesson and say "I hope it's not difficult to get a scholarship," how would this sentence change?

You would use ojalá que followed by the present subjunctive of ser. The sentence would become: Ojalá que no sea difícil obtener una beca. The verb es changes to its subjunctive form, sea, because you are now expressing a hope or wish rather than stating a known fact!

Is a veces always written as two separate words?