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Sí, el problema es difícil.

Sí, el problema es difícil.
Yes, the problem is difficult.
From Lesson 6:Simple negation (no)·Spanish (Spain)

Breakdown of Sí, el problema es difícil.

ser
to be
el problema
the problem
sí
yes
difícil
difficult

Questions & Answers about Sí, el problema es difícil.

Why is it el problema and not la problema if it ends in '-a'?
Most Spanish words ending in '-a' are feminine, but there are exceptions. Problema comes from Greek, and many Spanish words with Greek roots ending in '-ma' (like el idioma or el sistema) are actually masculine. That is why we use the masculine word for 'the', which is el.
How would I make this sentence negative to say 'No, the problem is not difficult'?
To make a sentence negative, you simply put no right before the verb. So you would say: No, el problema no es difícil. The first no answers the question, and the second no goes immediately before the verb (es) to make it negative.
Why do we use es instead of está for 'is' in this sentence?
We use es (from the verb ser) because being difficult is a defining characteristic of this specific problem, not a temporary condition. You use ser to describe what things are like fundamentally.
Would difícil change if it was describing a feminine noun?
No, adjectives that end in a consonant, like difícil, have the exact same form for both masculine and feminine nouns. For example, if you were talking about a difficult class (feminine), it would still be la clase es difícil.

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