Learn Hardcore Dutch: Ik vind het soms lastig om met kritiek om te gaan. - I sometimes find it difficult to deal with criticism.

The first om is the marker that introduces the infinitive clause (“to …”). The second om is actually the separable prefix of the verb omgaan (“to deal with”). In Dutch, separable verbs like omgaan split in subordinate clauses: you place the prefix om before te and the verb stem gaan at the end, yielding om … om te gaan.

What is the function of het in Ik vind het soms lastig…?

Here het is a dummy or impersonal “it” that refers to the upcoming action (met kritiek om te gaan). Dutch needs this placeholder in constructions like vinden + adjective + om te-infinitive (e.g. Ik vind het leuk om te reizen). You can’t say Ik vind soms lastig om… without het.

What part of speech is lastig, and why is it used with vinden?

Lastig is an adjective meaning “difficult” or “tricky.” In Dutch you often “find something difficult” (iemand vindt iets lastig). Here you have the structure vinden (het) lastig + om … te . It works just like “I find it difficult to …” in English.

Why is met used before kritiek instead of having kritiek as a direct object?

Omgaan is a verb that requires the preposition met to express the object you’re dealing with. Omgaan met kritiek literally means “to deal with criticism.” Without met, the sentence would be ungrammatical.

Why doesn’t kritiek have an article (like de kritiek) in this sentence?

Kritiek is an uncountable, abstract noun here, used in a general sense (“criticism” overall). Uncountable nouns normally drop the indefinite article in Dutch. If you referred to a specific set of criticisms, you could say de kritiek die ik kreeg, but for general ability you simply say met kritiek.

Can the adverb soms move to a different position in the sentence?

Yes, Dutch adverbs have some flexibility. You could start with Soms vind ik het lastig om met kritiek om te gaan, which emphasizes “sometimes.” Placing soms between ik vind and het (as in Ik vind soms het lastig…) is less natural. The most common spots are immediately after the subject or at the very beginning for emphasis.

Could I rephrase this sentence in a simpler way?

Certainly. You could say Ik heb moeite met kritiek (“I have difficulty with criticism”) or Het is soms moeilijk om kritiek te verwerken (“It is sometimes difficult to process criticism”). These use slightly different verbs (moeite hebben / moeilijk zijn / verwerken), but convey the same idea.