Le quotidien est parfois difficile.

Daily life is sometimes difficult.

Breakdown of Le quotidien est parfois difficile.

• être: to be
• parfois: sometimes
• le quotidien: the daily life
• difficile: difficult

Questions & Answers about Le quotidien est parfois difficile.

How can I translate Le quotidien into English?

Le quotidien generally means daily life, the everyday, or the daily routine in English. It suggests the normal, day-to-day aspects of someone’s life.

What is the function of est in this sentence?

The word est is a form of the verb être (meaning to be) in the third-person singular present tense. So est means is in English.

Why is parfois used, and what does it mean?

Parfois means sometimes. In this sentence, it indicates that daily life is not always difficult but can occasionally be challenging.

Why is difficile in its singular form here?

Difficile is an adjective describing le quotidien, which is singular. In French, an adjective typically agrees in number and gender with the noun it describes. Since le quotidien is masculine singular, difficile remains in its masculine singular form (which happens to be spelled the same as the feminine form).

Could I say Le quotidien peut être difficile instead?

Yes, you could. Peut être (meaning can be) simply expresses possibility or potential difficulty. Est parfois difficile states that it is difficult sometimes, implying it happens occasionally. Both convey similar meanings, but peut être focuses on the potential difficulty, while est parfois emphasizes the occasional occurrence.