Breakdown of Δυσκολεύομαι να επιλέξω ποιο βιβλίο να πάρω σήμερα.
Questions & Answers about Δυσκολεύομαι να επιλέξω ποιο βιβλίο να πάρω σήμερα.
Δυσκολεύομαι means I have difficulty, I find it hard, or I struggle.
It comes from δυσκολεύω / δυσκολεύομαι and is very commonly used in Greek to talk about difficulty doing something:
- Δυσκολεύομαι να καταλάβω. = I have trouble understanding.
- Δυσκολεύεται να μιλήσει. = He/She has difficulty speaking.
In this sentence, Δυσκολεύομαι να επιλέξω... means I’m finding it hard to choose...
A learner may notice that the form looks like a middle/passive form. That is true grammatically, but in practice you should learn δυσκολεύομαι as the normal verb for I have difficulty / I struggle.
In Greek, many verbs are followed by να plus another verb to express to do something, that someone do something, or an action that is intended, possible, desired, difficult, etc.
So:
- Δυσκολεύομαι να επιλέξω = I struggle to choose
English uses an infinitive (to choose), but Modern Greek does not use an infinitive in this way. Instead, it uses:
- να
- verb form
This is one of the most important structural differences from English.