Spanish word of the week: dificultar

This week’s Spanish word of the week is dificultar.

Dificultar is a verb that means to make … difficult or to hold up. You can listen to the pronunciation of dificultar in the audio clip below:

Sometimes you can use a single Spanish word instead of several in English, and dificultar is such a word.

El temporal dificultó la localización del naufragio. The storm made it difficult to locate the wreck.

Esas restricciones dificultan el comercio. These restrictions make trade difficult.

El precio de los departamentos dificulta el acceso de los colombianos a la vivienda. The price of appartments makes it difficult for Colombians to get into the housing market.

Dificultar is also often used to refer to traffic being held up:

La intensa nieve dificultaba la circulación. Heavy snow was holding up the traffic.

Come back next week for another insight into Spanish vocabulary!