Do you think learning Spanish is easy? Or Do you think it is hard?.
Answering those questions is simple. Still, no matter what’s your answer, the most important thing is to never stop learning and improving.
Easy and hard are “fácil” and “difícil” in Spanish. They both are frequently used by native speakers. And, sometimes, we use them with the preposition “de” to build a new structure and describe anything.
Today, we will teach you how to use “fácil” and “difícil” in Spanish. And, if you believe learning how to speak Spanish is a challenge, we are here to change your mind.
Keep reading this article and don’t miss the chance of adding these two wonderful words to your vocabulary.
How to use “fácil”
“Fácil” is a Spanish adjective that has several uses. Nonetheless, the most popular is to describe simplicity.
Although Spanish adjectives often change depending on the noun’s gender, “fácil” stays the same for both genders. It has singular and plural forms.
We use “fácil” for singular nouns and “fáciles” for plural nouns.
Let’s see a few examples below:
Hacer las compras es una tarea fácil. Generalmente, no me toma mucho tiempo.
Shopping is an easy task. Generally, it doesn’t take me long.
No todos los problemas son fáciles.
Not all problems are easy.
Muchas personas desean tener una vida fácil. Sin embargo, siempre hay altos y bajos.
Many people want to have an easy life. However, there are always ups and downs.
We can also use “fácil” to express probability. It often replaces the English word likely.
Here’s a great example:
Es fácil que lleguemos tarde si seguimos andando lento.
We are likely to be late if we keep walking slowly.
As you may see, we are using “fácil” to express that the probability of arriving late will increase if we keep walking slowly.
We can use “fácil” this way in many scenarios.
For example, Let’s imagine a situation in which you went on a trip and you are walking in the city. If you don’t use a GPS it’s highly probable to get lost.
In that case, saying “Es fácil que me pierda si no uso un mapa o un GPS” = (It’s easy to get lost if I don’t use a map or a GPS) is correct and will help you express your opinion.
In some cases, we can also use “fácil” to describe someone’s personality.
For example, if we say “Su temperamento no es nada fácil”, we are expressing that his/her mood is very susceptible and dealing with him/her might be a challenge.
In an informal way, you can use it to express that someone has a “sleep around” conduct.
“Fácil” + “de”
On several occasions, we use “fácil” together with the preposition “de”. This structure is highly used by native speakers in daily conversations and even in a professional environment.
Frequently, we use the structure “fácil de” followed by a verb in the infinitive form. As a result, you can express that carrying out the action is “simple”.
Let’s look at the following examples to get a clearer idea:
La interfaz es fácil de entender.
The interface is easy to understand.
El escritorio que compré por internet es fácil de armar.
The desk I bought online is easy to put together.
La aplicación móvil es fácil de usar.
The mobile app is easy to use.
How to use “difícil”
“Difícil” is fácil’s antonym. It’s also an adjective and it’s not surprising that its main use is to express complexity.
This Spanish word frequently translates to “difficult” or “hard”. However, depending on what you are trying to express, its translation might change.
Just like “fácil”, it has a singular and plural form. We use “difícil” for singular nouns and “díficiles” for plural nouns.
Let’s see some examples:
Es dificil conseguir cosas buenas sin esfuerzo
It’s hard to get good things without effort.
Encontrar ese juguete es difícil en Navidad.
Finding that toy in Christmas is difficult.
Hay problemas difíciles, pero no imposibles de solucionar.
There are difficult problems, but not impossible to solve.
We can also use “difícil” to express improbability. In that case, it often translates to unlikely.
For example, if you want to say that something isn’t likely to happen again, you could say “Es difícil que eso vuelva a pasar.”= (It is difficult for that to happen again.)
Finally, you can use “difícil” to say that someone is intractable or rebellious. In a colloquial way, we use it to say that someone isn’t likely to fall in love with another person if they don’t try a lot.
Let’s look at the following sentences:
No sé cómo tratar con adolescentes difíciles.
I don’t know how to deal with difficult teenagers.
Ella se hace la difícil, pero no dejaré de intentarlo.
She plays hard to get, but I won’t stop trying.
“Difícil” + “de”
Just like with “fácil”, we often use “difícil” together with the preposition “de”.
We use the structure “difícil de” to express that a task or action isn’t easy to carry out. After all, “difícil de” is, generally, followed by a verb in the infinitive form.
Let’s get a better picture by checking out the examples below:
María es difícil de tratar.
María is difficult to deal with
Es difícil tomar un taxi cuando está lloviendo.
It is difficult to take a taxi when it is raining.
Es difícil aparcar el coche en este estacionamiento.
It is difficult to park a car in this parking lot.
A veces, es difícil de probar la verdad cuando no hay suficientes pruebas.
Sometimes, it’s hard to prove the truth when there isn’t enough evidence.
Spanish adjectives
In summary, “fácil” and “difícil” are both adjectives.
They are opposites but very common words you can use to describe people’s personalities, express probability, or say how challenging a task can be.
Both adjectives have a singular form and a plural form. So, using them with plural or singular nouns isn’t a hill-up.
Remember that these adjectives will always stay the same whether you have a feminine or masculine noun. And, don’t forget that, in most cases, we use the structures “fácil de” and “dificil de” with verbs in the infinitive form.
See? This wasn’t a challenge, right?