Russian Vocabulary (and Wisdom)

How to say "difficult" in Russian

This Russian word is one of the top 1000 words in Russian. The complete list of most common Russian words is available here.

трудно

Meaning: difficult, hard, with difficulty

Pronunciation: [TROOD-nuh]

Part of speech: adverb

Rank: #601 (see frequency list)

It's hard to start working after holidays.
Photo by irrezolut CC-BY-SA-2.0

Example sentences:

У нас сейчác тру́дно с деньгáми.
We are facing financial problems now.
literal We have difficulties with money now.
Ей тру́дно: у неë чéтверо детéй.
She has a hard life: she's got four children.
Им тру́дно пócле смéрти отцá.
They're having difficult times after the death of their father.
Мне тру́дно дышáть.
I have breathing difficulties.
literal It's difficult to breath for me.
Тру́дно повéрить, что он такóй пессими́ст.
It's hard to believe that he's such a pessimist.
Тру́дно сказáть, что у них там произошлó.
It's hard to tell what happened to them.
literal It's hard to tell what happened to them there.
Ему́ тру́дно поня́ть, что у людéй бывáют проблéмы.
It's hard to understand for him that people can have problems.
Вам не тру́дно откры́ть окнó?
Could you open the window, please?
literal Is it not difficult for you to open the window?
Тру́дно начинáть рабóтать пócле óтпуска.
It's hard to start working after holidays.
Переговóры шли тру́дно.
The negotiations were making difficult progress.

Idioms and set expressions:

мне тру́дно = I'm in difficulty
тру́дно повéрить = hard to believe
тру́дно сказáть = hard to tell
тру́дно предстáвить = hard to imagine
тру́дно поня́ть = hard to understand
вам не тру́дно...? = could you, please...?
literal is it not difficult for you...?

Related words:

тру́дный = hard, difficult (adjective)
труд = work, labour
тяжелó = hard, difficult (adverb)

Proverbs and sayings:

Умерéть легкó, жить тру́дно.
It's easy to die, but it's hard to live.
Не тру́дно сдéлать, тру́дно заду́мать.
It's not hard to do, it's hard to think it over.
Тру́дно быть Бóгом (А.и Б. Стругáцкие).
It's hard to be a God (A.and B.Strugatskiy)

Vocabulary lesson: By Russificate blog exclusively for MasterRussian

Phrase recordings: Copyright(c) 2011 MasterRussian.com. All rights reserved.
Word recordings: Copyright(c) 2006 Streit Goulnara, Streit Eric, Vion Nicolas. Copyright(c) 2007 S. Sakhno, N. Vion. Distributed under CC-BY.

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