difícil

See also: dificil

Asturian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin difficilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /diˈfiθil/ [d̪iˈfi.θil]
• Rhymes: -iθil
• Syllabification: di‧fí‧cil

Adjective

difícil (epicene, plural difíciles)

1. difficult (hard, not easy)

   Antonym: fácil

Related terms

• dificultá

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin difficilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [diˈfi.sil]

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

difícil m or f (masculine and feminine plural difícils)

1. difficult

   Antonym: fàcil

Derived terms

• difícilment

Related terms

• dificultar
• dificultat

Further reading

• “difícil” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Galician

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin difficilis.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /diˈfiθil/ [d̪iˈfi.θiɫ]

• IPA^(key): (standard) /diˈfiθil/ [d̪iˈfi.θiɫ]
• IPA^(key): (seseo) /diˈfisil/ [d̪iˈfi.siɫ]

 

• Rhymes: -iθil

• Rhymes: -iθil
• Rhymes: -isil

• Hyphenation: di‧fí‧cil

Adjective

difícil m or f (plural difíciles)
difícil m or f (plural difíceis, reintegrationist norm)

1. difficult

   Antonym: fácil

Derived terms

• dificilmente

Related terms

• dificultade
• dificultar

Further reading

• “difícil”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025

Portuguese

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin difficilis.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒiˈfi.siw/ [d͡ʒiˈfi.siʊ̯]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /diˈfi.sil/ [diˈfi.siɫ], /dɨˈfi.sil/ [dɨˈfi.siɫ]

• (Northeast Brazil) IPA^(key): /di.ˈfi.siw/
• Hyphenation: di‧fí‧cil

Adjective

difícil m or f (plural difíceis)

1. difficult, hard

   Antonym: fácil

   • 2000, J. K. Rowling, Lia Wyler, Harry Potter e o Prisioneiro de Azkaban, Rocco, page 240:

     Era difícil dizer se a professora os ouvira, pois seu rosto estava oculto pelas sombras.

     It was difficult to tell whether the teacher had heard them, because her face was hidden by the shadows.

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:difícil.

Derived terms

• dificilmente

Further reading

• “difícil” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin difficilis. Compare obsolete English difficile.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Spain) /diˈfiθil/ [d̪iˈfi.θil]
• IPA^(key): (Latin America, Philippines) /diˈfisil/ [d̪iˈfi.sil]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iθil
• Rhymes: -isil
• Syllabification: di‧fí‧cil

Adjective

difícil m or f (masculine and feminine plural difíciles, superlative dificilísimo)

1. difficult, hard, tough, challenging, rough, tricky, trying, arduous, testing
2. unlikely (i.e. improbable)
3. awkward (e.g. situation or position)
4. (figurative) rocky, bumpy (e.g. start, road)

Antonyms

• fácil

Derived terms

• difícilmente (adverb)

Related terms

• dificultad f
• dificultar

Further reading

• “difícil”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10