Learn Spanish (Spain): A fuerza de empeño, hemos mejorado mucho este año. - By dint of determination, we have improved a lot this year.

The phrase a fuerza de means "by dint of" or "through a lot of". While it is often followed by an infinitive verb to show repeated action, it works just as well with nouns to show the intense means or cause of an achievement. Here, a fuerza de empeño means the improvement happened because of continuous, heavy determination.

What is the difference between empeño and esfuerzo?

Both can translate to "effort", but empeño carries a stronger sense of determination, persistence, or a stubborn will to achieve a goal. Esfuerzo is more about the raw physical or mental energy expended. So a fuerza de empeño highlights their unwavering resolve.

Why is hemos mejorado (present perfect) used here rather than mejoramos (simple past)?

In Spain, the present perfect is the standard tense for past actions that occurred in a time frame that is not yet over. Because the sentence says este año (this year), the year is still ongoing, making hemos mejorado the natural choice over the simple past.

Does a fuerza de add a meaning that I would miss if I just said por empeño?

Yes. While por empeño simply means "because of determination", you would lose the sense of intensity. A fuerza de specifically implies that the result was achieved through the constant, repeated, or heavy application of that determination.