Modern Spanish Grammar: A Practical Guide

Basta tener dinero.

It’s enough to have money. (indefinite subject for tener dinero)

Nos basta tener dinero.

It’s enough for us that we have money.

But:

Basta que los escritores tengan papel.

It’s enough that writers have paper.

Es difícil explicarlo.

It’s difficult to explain it. (indefinite subject for explicar)

Me es difícil explicarlo.

It’s difficult for me to explain it. (I must explain it.)

But:

Es difícil que el mundo cambie.

It’s difficult for the world to change.

As in English, another kind of infinitive complement construction is possible with

ser and adjectives meaning ‘difficult’, ‘easy’, etc. Compare:

Es difícil entender a este profesor.

It is difficult to understand this teacher.

Este profesor es difícil de entender.

This teacher is difficult to understand.

In the first sentence, entender a este profesor as a whole is the subject of es difícil

and no preposition is required. In the second sentence, este profesor becomes the

subject of es difícil, and entender requires the preposition de before it. It is important

not to mix up these two constructions: *Es difícil de entender a este profesor is not

acceptable.

26.2.2 Infinitive objects

26.2.2.1 With no preposition
Examples:

acostumbrar: Acostumbro cenar a las nueve.

I usually have dinner at nine o’clock.

conseguir: ¿Conseguiste ver al jefe?

Did you manage to see the boss?

deber: Debes decir la verdad. (see also 21.2)

You must tell the truth.

decidir: Decidí no decir nada.

I decided not to say anything.

desear: Deseábamos saber quién se lo había dicho.

We wanted to know who had said it.

COMPLEMENTATION 26.2