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What is Difficult in English? Everything you need to know about Difficult

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In English, Difficult is used to express something hard or challenging. However, do you know its proper usage and formulas? In this article, let's learn everything about Difficult in English together with PREP, while also distinguishing it from "Difficulty" and some other synonymous words!

What is Difficult in English? Everything you need to know about Difficult

I. What is Difficult in English?
II. The structures of Difficult in English
III. Differentiate between Difficult and Difficulty
IV. Synonyms of Difficult in English
V. Idioms with Difficult in English and some idioms expressing difficulty
1. 1. Idioms with Difficult
2. 2. Idioms expressing difficulty
VI. Exercises on Difficult in English with detailed answers

I. What is Difficult in English?

Difficult is an adjective in English, meaning hard or challenging. In addition, do you know which preposition Difficult goes with? The word Difficult in English often goes with "for" and "to". Depending on different contexts, the difficult structure is used with different meanings revolving around its basic meaning as follows:

Difficult means not easy; needing effort or skill to do or to understand. For example:
- Jenny finds it difficult to stop thinking about John.
- It is difficult for Hanna to climb this mountain.
Difficult means not easy to please; not helpful. For example:
- Kathy is a very difficult customer.
- The singer has a difficult reputation.

Everything you need to know about Difficult in English

II. The structures of Difficult in English

The Difficult structure in English is used in several typical contexts. Let's learn more details together with PREP:

Structure
Structure	Difficult serves as an adjective	It + be (is/was) + difficult + to V	Difficult + for + sb + to V	S + find + something/V-ing + difficult
Usage	Difficult serves as an adjective, and complements information for the sentence.	Difficult + to V expresses "hard to do something".	This structure expresses "hard for someone to do something".	This structure expresses someone finds it hard to do something.
Example	Sara is a difficult woman. Physics is a difficult subject. Post-graduation from school is a difficult time for Kathy.	It’s very difficult to achieve this month’s goal. It was difficult to move the bench out of the room.	It is difficult for her to break up with him. The boss made it difficult for him to agree to a pay cut. It is difficult for him to wake up early after a late night of work.	I find speaking in public difficult. She finds advanced math problems difficult.

III. Differentiate between Difficult and Difficulty

Many people often confuse Difficult with Difficulty. However, these two words are completely different and are distinguished as follows:

Difficult vs Difficulty
Similarities	Both words mean hard or challenging.
Differences	Difficult serves as an adjective in the sentence.	“Difficulty” is a noun, followed by a preposition or gerund.
Example	It will be very difficult to find Hanna’s car key. Many things make it difficult for Jenny to get married.	The difficulty of this task made Harry a little nervous. Martin has difficulty finding the way to his new company.

IV. Synonyms of Difficult in English

In English, aside from Difficult in English, there exist several synonymous words conveying various nuances of difficulty. Let's compare them to understand how to apply them appropriately:

1. Difficult vs Hard

	Difficult	Hard
Part of speech	Adjective	Adjective, adverb
Meaning	Only mean "hard", "challenging". Describe the need to overcome obstacles or solve problems during the process of doing something, and this requires certain skills.	Has other meanings such as stiff, solid; strong, heavy, or many besides "hard", and "challenging". When Hard means Difficult it describes anything that is not easy, and can be used to describe an activity that requires a lot of physical or mental effort. Therefore, "Hard" has a more abstract meaning.
Example	Chemistry lessons are not too difficult. This song is very difficult to understand.	Hanna had a hard life. Martin likes to pretend he’s hard. This stick is as hard as steel.

2. Difficult vs Tough

	Difficult	Tough
Meaning	Only mean "hard", or "challenging".	There are other meanings as well, such as strong, resilient, determined; harsh (weather), rough, tough...
Example	This beef is difficult for Anna to chew. It is difficult to please everybody in her class.	Kathy had a pretty tough childhood. Only tough species will survive in the desert. That’s tough for you!

3. Difficult vs Arduous

	Difficult	Arduous
Meaning	Difficult means "hard, challenging." It implies the presence of obstacles to overcome or things that need to be resolved, requiring special skills or caution in execution or handling.	Arduous means "arduous, laborious." In some cases, Arduous is similar to Difficult, but it implies a greater need for effort, perseverance, diligence, and endurance.
Example	This history book is difficult for me to read. This problem is more difficult than Peter imagines.	That was an arduous journey through miles of desert. Kathy went through an arduous training program.

V. Idioms with Difficult in English and some idioms expressing difficulty

1. Idioms with Difficult

Difficult has a commonly used idiom:

Have a (hard/difficult) job doing/to do something = Encountering difficulty in doing something

For example:

Kathy’ll have a difficult job convincing them that she is right.
Sara had a hard job to make herself heard.

2. Idioms expressing difficulty

In addition, some other idioms also express difficulty which you can flexibly use:

Idiom	Meaning	Example
A hard nut to crack	a difficult problem or situation to deal with	This homework is a hard nut to crack that I can’t solve.
A tough row to hoe	difficult situation to deal with	Martin had a tough row to hoe in today’s schools.
Hard to swallow	difficult to believe	Harry found her story rather hard to swallow.
in deep water	to be in or get into serious trouble	Sara knew she would be in deep water if she didn’t mention John in her acceptance speech.
In over your head	to be involved in a difficult situation that you cannot get out of	Jenny tried to pay her gambling debts, but she was in over her head.

VI. Exercises on Difficult in English with detailed answers

Difficult is fairly simple, however, you should not be complacent and should practice regularly to avoid making mistakes when using it. Here are some exercises to practice Difficult with detailed answers. Let's practice!

Exercise 1: Choose Difficult or Difficulty

1. Peter’s parents have ____ using smartphones.
- A. difficult
- B. difficulty
2. It is very ____ for Hanna to make a decision.
- A. difficult
- B. difficulty
3. Harry finds it ____ to break up with Jane.
- A. difficult
- B. difficulty
4. Kathy has ____ finding a good job.
- A. difficult
- B. difficulty
5. It is very ____ to forget this memory.
- A. difficult
- B. difficulty

Exercise 2: Find mistakes in the following sentences

Hanna went through the most difficulty period.
It is very difficulty for Harry to find a good job.
Going through difficulty things will help Kathy grow.
It is very difficulty for Peter to sleep alone.

Answer keys:

Exercise 1: 1 – B, 2-A, 3-A, 4-B, 5-A

Exercise 2:

Hanna went through the most difficult period.
It is very difficult for Harry to find a good job.
Going through difficult things will help Kathy grow.
It is very difficult for Peter to sleep alone.

VII. Crack the IELTS Exam With Confidence

In this article, PREP has compiled the entire knowledge regarding Difficult in English, including the structures with Difficult, accompanied by examples and detailed exercises with answers.

If you’re aiming for IELTS excellence, explore these top-notch resources designed for high achievers below:

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Master Tu Pham

Founder/CEO at Prep

Founder of Prep Smart Test Preparation Platform. With over 10 years of experience in teaching and test preparation, Mr. Tú has helped thousands of students achieve high scores in the IELTS exam. In addition, Mr. Tú Phạm is also a consulting expert in British Council programs and a speaker at many leading educational events, programs, and conferences.