Using costar to refer to "people in general"

Question

Why is costar used without a pronoun to express something people in general find difficult, while other words DO use a pronoun to express general things, as explained in the "The impersonal se in Spanish" lesson?

Lesson - The impersonal se in Spanish:
Expressing instructions and general statements in Spanish with the impersonal se = one

Accepted Answer

Hola Andy T.

Great question! The verb "costar" is often used in Spanish to express that something is difficult or challenging, and it's typically used without a pronoun when referring to people in general. This is because "costar" inherently implies that the subject is having difficulty, so adding a pronoun is unnecessary.
For example, in the sentence "Me cuesta levantarme temprano", "me" refers to 'me' (I find it difficult). But when you generalize to people in general, you simply say "Cuesta levantarse temprano", without needing a pronoun. This is different from constructions using "se" for general statements, where the action is performed by people in general, like "Se vive bien aquí" (One lives well here).
In summary, "costar" in this context naturally implies a general difficulty without the need for a pronoun, which is why it doesn't follow the same pattern as other verbs using "se" for impersonal expressions.
Hasta pronto

Silvia