Breakdown of Il est difficile de maîtriser les pas de cette chorégraphie.
être
to be
difficile
difficult
ce
this (before a noun)
de
of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)
Questions & Answers about Il est difficile de maîtriser les pas de cette chorégraphie.
Why do we use Il est difficile de instead of C'est difficile à?
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.
I thought pas meant "not". Why is it used here without ne?
Why use cette instead of ce?
Does the circumflex accent in maîtriser change how the word is pronounced?
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".