È facile, è facile da: Italian grammar lesson 75

How to say “it’s easy/difficult to...” in Italian? Is it “è facile/difficile” or “è facile/difficile da”?

Let’s learn it in this post with simple rules and examples!

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È facile or è facile da: Explained

You probably know the expressions è facile (it’s easy) and è difficile (it’s difficult).

These expressions are always followed by a verb in the infinitive form (imparare, cucinare, fare, etc.) but you might have noticed that sometimes we use the preposition da before the verb, like so: è facile da + verb / è difficile da + verb.

Let’s have a look at some examples:

È facile imparare l’italiano.

Learning Italian is easy.

L’italiano è facile da imparare.

Italian is easy to learn.

È difficile preparare questa torta.

It is difficult to prepare this cake.

Questa torta è difficile da preparare.

This cake is difficult to prepare.

È facile o è facile da: The basics

So, how do you know when to use one or the other?

The use of the preposition da with expressions like è facile and è difficile depends on the position of the object in the sentence.

To understand the difference, we need to learn to recognize the object of a sentence first. The object of a sentence is the person or thing that receives the action of the verb.

In the following sentences, you will find the object of the sentence in bold:

È facile imparare l’italiano.

L’italiano è facile da imparare.

È difficile preparare questa torta.

Questa torta è difficile da preparare.

Have you noticed?

When we use è facile and è difficile without the preposition da, the object comes after the verb (imparare l’italiano, preparare questa torta), while when we use è facile da and è difficile da the object of the sentence comes before the verb.

facile

È facile o è facile da: Rules

È facile… / È difficile…

  • È facile / È difficile + verb (imparare) + object (l’italiano)
  • Verb (imparare) + object (l’italiano) + è facile / è difficile

It doesn’t matter if the expression è facile / è difficile is at the beginning or at the end of the sentence. The rule does not change as long as the verb still comes before the object.

By the way, the expressions è facile / è difficile are impersonal, so they are always used in the singular.

È facile da… / È difficile da…

Since the expression here is not impersonal but describes the object directly, we will have to conjugate the verb essere and change the number of facile/difficile according to the object of the sentence:

Le lingue romanze sono facili da imparare.

Romance languages are easy to learn.

Gli sport acquatici sono difficili da praticare.

Aquatic sports are difficult to practice.

So…

  • Singular object (l’italiano) + è facile da / è difficile da + verb (imparare)
  • Plural object (le lingue romanze) + sono facili da / sono difficili da + verb (imparare)

By the way, adding a negative to the expressions doesn’t change the rule at all, so you can also say:

Non è facile imparare l’italiano.

It isn’t easy to learn Italian.

Le lingue romanze non sono difficili da imparare.

Romance languages are not difficult to learn.

difficile

È facile o è facile da: Examples

Let’s have a look at some more examples so that you get a grip on it.

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While you read the sentences, try to locate the object of the sentence, and check if it is before or after the verb.

Suonare la chitarra è facile.

Playing the guitar is easy.

Il pianoforte è difficile da suonare.

The piano is difficult to play.

Preparare la pasta non è difficile.

Making pasta isn’t difficult.

Questi biscotti non sono facili da preparare!

These biscuits are not easy to make!

È facile or è facile da: the bottom line

Sometimes, it can be confusing to know when to use ‘è facile‘ or ‘è facile da‘.

When we use ‘è facile’ or ‘è difficile’ without the preposition ‘da’, the object comes after the verb, while when we use ‘è facile da’ or ‘è difficile da’, the object comes before the verb.

Also, remember that the expressions ‘è facile‘ and ‘è difficile‘ are always used in the singular form.

On the other hand, when we use ‘è facile da‘ or ‘è difficile da‘, we have to conjugate the verb ‘essere’ and change the number of ‘facile‘ or ‘difficile’ depending on the object of the sentence.

Finally, adding a negative to the expressions doesn’t change the rule at all.

We hope this has been helpful in understanding when to use ‘è facile‘ or ‘è difficile‘ with or without ‘da’!

Still translating in your head? Wanna speak Italian for real? Check out Stefano's courses to think directly in Italian and become fluent fast!

FAQs on È facile, è facile da: Italian grammar lesson 75

What are the meanings of DA in Italian?

The Italian preposition da can be translated as "from" and "by" in English. It acts as a crucial connecting word between Italian nouns and is used in complex Italian expressions that describe time.

What does Facile mean in Italian?

Easy or simple are both translated as facile in Italian.

What is the translation of difficile?

The English translation of the word 'difficile' is difficult.

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