Learn Hardcore Italian: Appunto, non è affatto facile.

Here appunto is a discourse marker meaning something like Exactly, Precisely, or Right—it signals agreement with what was just said and introduces your reinforcement: “Exactly, it’s not at all easy.” It’s not being used as the noun appunto (note).

Why is there a comma after Appunto?

Because appunto is functioning as a stand-alone comment (a discourse marker). It’s usually separated by a comma (or even a period or exclamation point: Appunto!) to reflect the brief pause you make in speech.

Is appunto the same as infatti or esatto?

Appunto = “Exactly/that’s the point,” often echoing or affirming what someone else said.
Infatti = “In fact/indeed,” introduces justification or confirmation of a statement.
Esatto = “Exactly,” typically as a direct agreement (often standalone).
You can start a sentence with any of them, but they’re not interchangeable in all contexts. Appunto highlights that you’re picking up the exact point just made.

What does affatto mean, and does it need non?

In modern Italian, affatto in ordinary sentences means at all but it almost always appears with non: non … affatto = “not … at all.”

Affatto! alone can mean “Not at all!” as a reply.
An affirmative meaning (“entirely/completely”) exists in older or very formal styles, but is rare today. Avoid using affatto affirmatively in everyday speech to prevent confusion.

Is non … affatto a double negative?

Not in the English sense. Italian commonly uses non plus a negative/limitative word (affatto, mai, niente, mica, etc.). Non is required; affatto intensifies the negation: “not at all.”

Can I move affatto to the end: Non è facile affatto?

Yes, it’s possible and emphatic (often more marked or literary). The most natural everyday placement is before the adjective: Non è affatto facile.

What are common alternatives to non è affatto facile?

Non è per niente facile (very common, neutral)
Non è per nulla facile (neutral/slightly formal)
Non è mica facile (colloquial; with or without non in speech)
È tutt’altro che facile (emphatic, slightly formal)
All mean “it’s not easy at all” with slightly different registers.

Could I just say È difficile instead?

Yes, but nuance differs:

Non è affatto facile = “It’s not at all easy” (explicitly negates ease; often more emphatic/contrastive).
È difficile = “It’s difficult” (direct, neutral statement).
They overlap in meaning but feel different in emphasis.

What’s the subject of è here?

Italian drops subject pronouns when they’re obvious. È is “it is,” with an understood subject (the task/situation just mentioned). You don’t add an explicit “it.”

Is no è ever correct?

No. Italian negation is non before the verb. So you must say non è, not no è. (No is only used as the interjection “no.”)

How do I pronounce the sentence?

Appunto: ahp-POON-toh (double pp = longer “p,” and stress on POON)
non è: nohn EH (open “è”)
affatto: ahf-FAHT-toh (double ff and tt)
facile: FAH-chee-leh (stress on FA; ci before a vowel = “chee”)
Say it smoothly: “ahp-POON-toh, nohn EH ahf-FAHT-toh FAH-chee-leh.”

Does facile agree with gender/number?

Yes. Facile is the singular form for both masculine and feminine; the plural is facili.

Singular: Non è affatto facile.
Plural: Non sono affatto facili.

Any spelling pitfalls?

It’s appunto (one word), not “a punto.”
It’s affatto with double ff and tt.
Use è (with accent) for “is,” not plain e (which means “and”).
Don’t write e’ unless you absolutely can’t type accents; è is the correct form.

Is per l’appunto different from appunto?

Per l’appunto means “precisely/just so,” a touch more formal or emphatic than appunto. In speech, appunto is more common; both convey precise agreement or relevance.