Question 1

Why do we use Il est difficile de instead of C'est difficile à?

Accepted Answer

Use il est [adjective] de [infinitive] when making a general statement where the action hasn't been brought up yet, like "It is difficult to master...". You use c'est [adjective] à [infinitive] when referring back to a specific thing you already mentioned. For example, "This dance? It is difficult to master" would be Cette danse ? C'est difficile à maîtriser.

Question 2

I thought pas meant "not". Why is it used here without ne?

Accepted Answer

While pas is most commonly the second half of negative expressions like ne... pas, here it is a completely different word. It is the plural noun les pas, which simply means "the steps" (as in dance steps or footsteps).

Question 3

Why use cette instead of ce?

Accepted Answer

Cette is the feminine singular demonstrative adjective meaning "this" or "that". It is used here because chorégraphie is a feminine noun. If the noun were masculine, you would use ce (or cet before a vowel sound).

Question 4

Does the circumflex accent in maîtriser change how the word is pronounced?

Accepted Answer

No, the circumflex (the "hat" accent) on the i in maîtriser doesn't change its pronunciation. It is usually just a historical marker showing that an "s" used to follow that vowel in Old French, which makes perfect sense when you look at the English translation: "master".

Il est difficile de maîtriser les pas de cette chorégraphie.

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