Breakdown of Il est difficile de ne pas voir sa culpabilité.
être
to be
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
difficile
difficult
voir
to see
son
his/her/its (son, sa, ses)
il
it (impersonal subject)
de
to (introducing an infinitive after a verb)
la culpabilité
the guilt
Questions & Answers about Il est difficile de ne pas voir sa culpabilité.
Why is it Il est difficile de and not C'est difficile à?
We use il est + [adjective] + de + [infinitive] for impersonal statements where 'it' doesn't refer to a specific noun, but introduces a general action. If you were referring back to a specific thing already mentioned, you would use c'est + [adjective] + à + [infinitive], for example: C'est difficile à voir.
Why do both ne and pas come right next to each other before voir?
When you negate an infinitive (an unconjugated verb, like voir), both parts of the negation (ne and pas) are placed directly together in front of the verb. If the verb were conjugated, they would surround it instead, as in il ne voit pas.
The English translation says 'his guilt'. Why use the feminine possessive sa instead of the masculine son?
French possessive adjectives agree with the gender of the noun being owned, not the gender of the owner. Because culpabilité is a feminine noun, you must use sa, even if the guilty person is a man.
What is the adjective form of culpabilité?
The adjective for 'guilty' is coupable. Both words share the same Latin root as the English word 'culpable', which means deserving blame.
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