difficile
/difˈfi.t͡ʃi.le/
The Italian word for "difficult" is difficile.
Difficile is an adjective used to describe something that is hard or not easy.
Meaning: hard, not easy (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective difficile is invariant for gender, meaning it is the same for both masculine and feminine singular nouns. The plural form of difficile is difficili.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has four syllables, with the stress on the second syllable: /difˈfi.tʃi.le/.
Did you know?
- When an Italian says è difficile, they might not actually mean the task is hard, but rather that it is 'unlikely' to happen. For example, è difficile che piova translates to 'it is unlikely to rain'.
- The root of difficile is the same one found in the English word 'facility', which refers to an easy way of doing something or a specific skill.
- In Italian, if you want to say someone is a 'difficult person', you might call them una persona difficile, but this can also imply they are 'unpleasant' or 'hard to get along with' in a social sense.
Examples in context
- È difficile per me.It is difficult for me.This sentence demonstrates how to express that something is hard for a specific person using difficile.Tatoeba #3351299 by Guybrush88, translation #249735 by CK
- È difficile da fare?Is that difficult to do?This sentence is useful for asking if a task is hard to perform using difficile.Tatoeba #3789520 by Guybrush88, translation #2545870 by CK
- La vita è difficile.Life is difficult.This sentence shows how to describe life as being hard using difficile.Tatoeba #6072843 by Guybrush88, translation #2603171 by AlanF_US
- Questo problema è molto difficile da risolvere.This problem is very difficult to solve.
- La teoria della fisica quantistica è molto complessa.The theory of quantum physics is very complex.
- La situazione in ufficio è diventata molto pesante.The situation at the office has become very difficult.
- 896 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chiara and Francesco are studying for an exam together.
- ChiaraQuesta lezione è davvero difficile.This lesson is really difficult.
- FrancescoSì, non capisco niente.Yes, I don't understand anything.
- ChiaraPossiamo chiedere aiuto al professore?Can we ask the professor for help?
- FrancescoÈ un'idea ottima, Francesco.That is a great idea, Francesco.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “difficult” translations and entries difficile, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
