Breakdown of Lo difícil para el humorista es conseguir el primer aplauso.
ser
to be
para
for
difícil
difficult
primero
first
Questions & Answers about Lo difícil para el humorista es conseguir el primer aplauso.
Why is it lo difícil and not el difícil?
The neuter article lo is used before an adjective to express an abstract idea, meaning "the [adjective] thing" or "the [adjective] part". So, lo difícil translates to "the hard part" or "what is difficult". If you said el difícil, you would be referring to a specific masculine noun, like "the difficult one" (for example, a difficult exam).
Why does the sentence use the infinitive conseguir instead of consiguiendo for "getting"?
In English, we often use the "-ing" form as a noun, like in the phrase "is getting". In Spanish, however, you must always use the infinitive (conseguir) whenever a verb acts as a noun or the subject complement in a sentence. Using the gerund consiguiendo here is a common trap for English speakers, but it would incorrectly imply an ongoing continuous action rather than the concept of "getting".
Why is it primer aplauso instead of primero aplauso?
Why do we use para instead of por in para el humorista?