Se me da bien / me cuesta: habla de tus skills tech (A2)

Mini-quiz: expresar habilidades técnicas y dificultades personales en español natural.
DannisDannis
3 min reading time
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How to talk about your strengths and difficulties in programming (A2). Tip: use simple sentences in the present tense to keep it clear.

Se me da bien + noun/infinitive = “I’m good at …”. E.g.: Se me da bien programar en Python.

Se me da mal / No se me da = “I’m bad at it / it doesn’t come easily to me”. E.g.: Se me da mal el diseño de interfaces.

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Watch the plural: Se me dan mal los tests. (dan agrees with “los tests”).

Me cuesta + noun/infinitive = “it’s hard for me / I find it difficult”. E.g.: Me cuesta depurar código.

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Soy bueno/a en + noun = “I’m good at …”. E.g.: Soy buena en bases de datos. (Remember gender agreement: bueno/buena).

Mini grammar: me = a mí (indirect object). In “Se me da…”, me indicates the person: Los tests se me dan mal.

Work culture: in Spain it sounds more natural and humble to say “Se me da bien…” than “Soy el mejor…”. Avoid showing off in interviews.

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Comprehension check:

Elige la opción natural para expresar dificultad: ____ depurar en Java.
Me cuesta
Se me da bien
Soy bueno en
Me encanta
With the structure me cuesta + infinitive we say “it’s hard for me to …”. Here: Me cuesta depurar en Java.
Think of the idea “it’s hard for me to …”.
Completa (plural): ____ los algoritmos.
Se me dan mal
Se me da mal
Soy malo en
The verb agrees with “los algoritmos” (plural): Se me dan mal los algoritmos.
Look at the number: “los algoritmos” is plural.
Completa: Ana es ___ en UX.
bueno
buena
buen
Agreement in gender: Ana is female, so we use “buena”.
Think about the adjective’s gender: Ana is feminine.
En una entrevista suena más natural decir…
Soy el mejor programador
Se me da bien programar
Soy buenísimo en todo
In Spain naturalness is appreciated; we avoid bragging (“postureo”). “Se me da bien…” sounds modest and natural.
For an interview, something more modest and natural is better.

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