Breakdown of קשה לפתוח את המנעול הישן, אבל מחר נתקן אותו.
אבל
but
מחר
tomorrow
את
direct object marker
לפתוח
to open
Questions & Answers about קשה לפתוח את המנעול הישן, אבל מחר נתקן אותו.
Why does the sentence start with קשה?
In this sentence, קשה means hard or difficult, and it is being used in an impersonal pattern:
קשה + infinitive
So:
קשה לפתוח... = It is hard to open...
Hebrew often uses this structure where English uses it is + adjective + to + verb.
Other examples:
- קל להבין = It is easy to understand
- חשוב לדעת = It is important to know
- נעים לפגוש אותך = It is pleasant to meet you
So קשה here does not mean that some person is hard; it means that the action is difficult.
Why is לפתוח used here?
לפתוח is the infinitive form of the verb פתח, meaning to open.
After words like קשה, Hebrew usually uses the infinitive:
- קשה לפתוח = hard to open
- קל לעשות = easy to do
- אסור להיכנס = forbidden to enter
So לפתוח is used because the sentence is talking about the action in a general way: opening the old lock.
What is the role of את in את המנעול הישן?