Breakdown of Il est difficile de stocker l'électricité, donc le stockage évite le gaspillage.
être
to be
difficile
difficult
il
it (impersonal subject)
l'électricité
the electricity (f)
éviter
to avoid
donc
therefore, so
de
to (introducing an infinitive after a verb)
le gaspillage
the waste
stocker
to store
le stockage
the storage
Questions & Answers about Il est difficile de stocker l'électricité, donc le stockage évite le gaspillage.
Why do we use de in Il est difficile de stocker instead of à?
Because this is an impersonal expression (meaning the "it" doesn't refer to a specific noun). The structure Il est + adjective + infinitive always takes the preposition de. If the subject were a specific noun you already mentioned, like "Electricity is difficult to store", you would use à instead: L'électricité est difficile à stocker.
Could I say C'est difficile de stocker instead of Il est difficile de stocker?
Yes, you can! Using C'est + adjective + de + infinitive is very common in everyday, spoken French. The version used in this sentence, Il est difficile de, means exactly the same thing but is slightly more formal and frequently used in written French.
Why are there definite articles before électricité, stockage, and gaspillage when the English translation omits them?
In French, general concepts and broad categories always require a definite article (le, la, l', or les). While we can talk about "electricity", "storage", and "waste" in general terms in English without articles, French requires l'électricité, le stockage, and le gaspillage.
Is there a pattern to how words like stockage and gaspillage are formed?
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