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Prepositions after adjectives

Difficult for, to, in, of or with?

Different structures with difficult express different meanings. The most common are difficult for someone and difficult to do.

Quick answer

Common patterns with difficult

Use difficult for someone to describe who has trouble, difficult to before a verb, and difficult with for problems involving a person or thing. Difficult in is limited to specific contexts such as difficult in childhood.

Math is difficult for some students.
This door is difficult to open.
She is difficult with strangers.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
difficult for + person

Showing who experiences difficulty

Use difficult for to say that something causes problems for someone.

The instructions were difficult for beginners.
It is difficult for me to concentrate here.
2
difficult to + verb

Describing hard actions

Use difficult to before a verb to describe an action that is not easy.

The text is difficult to read.
This software is difficult to install.
3
difficult with + noun

Problems involving a person or thing

Use difficult with when talking about interaction or skill involving someone or something.

He is difficult with new clients.
I am difficult with names.
4
difficult in + period or area

Limited use for situations or contexts

Difficult in is used for a situation, field, or period, not as the main pattern after difficult.

She had a difficult in childhood transition period.
The company faced a difficult in rebuilding after the storm.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
difficult for
The exercise was difficult for the children.
Shows who experiences the difficulty.
difficult to
The report is difficult to understand.
Describes a hard action or task.
difficult with
He is difficult with customers.
Refers to interaction or handling.
difficult in
They went through a difficult period in 2024.
In often introduces a separate time or place phrase, not a fixed adjective pattern.
difficult of
That task is difficult of completion.
Rare and formal; not natural in everyday English.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using of instead of to

After difficult, use to before a verb in normal English.

✕ The machine is difficult of repair. ✓ The machine is difficult to repair.

Confusing difficult for and difficult to

Difficult for introduces a person. Difficult to introduces an action.

✕ This app is difficult for use. ✓ This app is difficult to use.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The exam was difficult ___ the whole class.
2. This chair is difficult ___ move.
3. He is difficult ___ new employees.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I say difficult to understand?

Yes. Difficult to plus a verb is a very common pattern.

Is difficult of correct?

It exists in rare formal language, but it sounds unnatural in everyday English.

Why does difficult in sound unusual?

In usually introduces a separate context such as time or place, not a regular adjective pattern after difficult.

daily, for, daily, with, daily, in damaging to, for, of, in or as? damn about, near, for, to or as? "dangerous for" or "dangerous to"? "dark in", "dark for" or "dark of"? "daunting for" or "daunting to"? dead in, on, by, at or of? deadly to, in, for, of or with? "deaf to" or "deaf in"? dear to, in, for, of or as? deceased in, to, for, at or on? "decent in" or "decent for"?

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