very difficult to me

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "very difficult to me" is not correct in standard written English.
The correct expression would be "very difficult for me." Example: "This math problem is very difficult for me to solve."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

"I just want to say to everybody in the room... thank you for the unconditional love, 'cause it's very difficult to me to have that, I haven't experienced much of it," she said when receiving the award.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

It's going to be very difficult to take me out of my club.

Independent

"When everything is under control it's very, very difficult to beat me," he said.

The Guardian - Sport

"It's going to be very difficult to get me to a yes," Heller said Friday.

Huffington Post

"It's going to be very difficult to get me to a yes," Heller said, according to Nevada Independent editor Jon Ralston, who listened in on the call.

Los Angeles Times

"When we brutalize things, brutalize people, the wound is very difficult to heal," Moutawakel told me in 1996.

The New York Times - Sports

It's very difficult to translate," she told me.

Huffington Post

Emotionally it will be very difficult to put this behind me and not be working for the public.

Los Angeles Times

"The greens were for me very difficult to read.

The Guardian - Sport

"It was terribly emotional, very tragic, and very difficult to work through," O'Keefe told me recently.

Huffington Post

"It's a good win, in a very difficult place to me, against a very, very good team," Thompson III said.

The New York Times - Sports

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always use "for" instead of "to" when indicating that something is difficult for a person. For example, say "It's very difficult for me" not "It's very difficult to me".

Common error

Avoid using the preposition "to" when you mean "for" to indicate who is experiencing the difficulty. "To" implies direction or recipient, while "for" indicates the one affected. It's the difference between saying a gift is "to me" (intended for me) and saying a task is "difficult for me" (hard for me to do).

Linguistic Context

The phrase "very difficult to me" functions as a descriptor, attempting to express the degree of challenge experienced by an individual. However, according to Ludwig AI, it's grammatically incorrect. The intended function is to communicate a subjective experience of difficulty.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

33%

Science

33%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "very difficult to me" attempts to express a personal experience of difficulty, it's grammatically incorrect. Ludwig AI flags it as incorrect, recommending "very difficult for me" instead. Although examples appear in various sources, primarily news and media, the grammatical error indicates a potentially informal register. Always opt for "very difficult for me" or similar alternatives to ensure grammatical correctness and clarity.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

very difficult for me

Corrects the grammatical error by using the proper preposition 'for' instead of 'to'.

very challenging for me

Replaces "difficult" with "challenging", maintaining a similar meaning with better grammar.

extremely hard for me

Substitutes "difficult" with "hard" and "very" with "extremely" to emphasize intensity while ensuring grammatical correctness.

quite a struggle for me

Uses a more idiomatic expression to convey difficulty, focusing on the effort required.

a real challenge for me

Emphasizes the difficulty as a significant challenge, maintaining proper grammar.

tough for me to handle

Indicates that something is difficult to manage or deal with personally.

hard for me to deal with

Focuses on the personal struggle of coping with something difficult.

presents difficulties for me

Expresses that something poses obstacles or problems.

poses a challenge to me

Highlights the difficulty as a test or obstacle to overcome.

not easy for me

A simple and direct way of saying something is difficult, maintaining grammatical correctness.

FAQs

What is the correct way to say "very difficult to me"?

The correct phrasing is "very difficult "for me"". The preposition "for" is used to indicate who is experiencing the difficulty.

What can I say instead of "very difficult to me"?

You can use alternatives like "very challenging for me", "extremely hard for me", or "quite a struggle for me", all of which are grammatically correct and convey a similar meaning.

Is it ever correct to use "to me" after "difficult"?

While "difficult to me" is generally considered incorrect, there might be rare contexts where it could be interpreted differently, though it's safer to use "difficult for me" to avoid confusion. For example, the sentence "It's a very difficult place to me" can have a different semantic meaning compared to "It's very difficult for me".

What's the difference between "very difficult for me" and "very difficult to me"?

"Very difficult "for me"" is the grammatically correct way to express that something is challenging for you personally. "Very difficult to me" is generally considered incorrect in standard English.