German · Emotions & Descriptions
"Difficult" in German: schwierig
schwierig
Note: also: schwer
Difficult in German is schwierig. Say Die Prüfung war schwierig or Das fällt mir schwer. Schwer also means difficult/heavy and is a common alternative.
Class
Die Hausaufgabe ist heute schwierig.Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free
How to pronounce schwierig
Say it
SHVEER-ikh
/ˈʃviːʁɪç/
SHVEER-ikh. Soft sch as sh. Soft ie as ee. Soft ig like ikh.
"Difficult" in German: quick reference
| German | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| schwierig | difficult Default adjective. | Default adjective. |
| zu schwierig | too difficult About tasks. | About tasks. |
| schwieriger | more difficult Comparative. | Comparative. |
| schwer | difficult / heavy Close alternative. | Close alternative. |
How to use schwierig in real life
- 1Class
Die Hausaufgabe ist heute schwierig.
The homework is difficult today.
Schwierig as predicate.
- 2Language
Deutsche Artikel finde ich schwierig.
I find German articles difficult.
Schwierig after finden.
- 3Game
Das Level ist zu schwierig für mich.
This level is too difficult for me.
Zu schwierig.
Mistakes English speakers make with schwierig
Incorrect: Das ist difficult.
Correct: Das ist schwierig.
Use schwierig, not English difficult.
Incorrect: eine schwierige. (alone)
Correct: Das ist schwierig. / eine schwierige Aufgabe
Pair schwierig with a noun or use it as predicate.
Good to know
Schwierig is honest feedback in school and work; it is not automatically rude. Soften with etwas schwierig. Schwer overlaps: Das ist schwer can mean hard or heavy—context decides.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Choosing an exam prep topic
ChatPal
Ist Kapitel fünf schwierig oder okay?
Is chapter five difficult or okay?
You
Schwierig. Ich brauche mehr Beispiele.
Difficult. I need more examples.
ChatPal
Dann üben wir das zuerst.
Then we'll practice that first.
You
Danke. Schwierig allein ist frustrierend.
Thanks. Difficult alone is frustrating.
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"Difficult" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "Difficult" in German
How do you say difficult?
Schwierig.
Too difficult?
Zu schwierig.
Schwer vs schwierig?
Both can mean hard; schwer also means heavy.
More difficult?
Schwieriger.
Learn a word, then use it out loud
- Step 1: See it in context
- Step 2: Say it out loud
- Step 3: Get feedback
- Step 4: Use it in real scenarios
