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Я надеюсь привыкнуть к этим ценам, хотя пока мне это трудно.

Я надеюсь привыкнуть к этим ценам, хотя пока мне это трудно.
I hope to get used to these prices, although for now it’s hard for me.

Breakdown of Я надеюсь привыкнуть к этим ценам, хотя пока мне это трудно.

я
I
к
to
мне
me
эти
these
хотя
although
цена
the price
трудно
hard
надеяться
to hope
пока
for now
привыкнуть к
to get used to
это
it/this
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Questions & Answers about Я надеюсь привыкнуть к этим ценам, хотя пока мне это трудно.

Why is привыкнуть in the infinitive after я надеюсь?

After надеяться (я надеюсь) Russian commonly uses an infinitive to mean to hope to do something:

  • Я надеюсь привыкнуть… = I hope to get used to…

You can also hope for something with на + Accusative (a different pattern):

  • Я надеюсь на помощь. = I’m hoping for help.
    But with an action, the infinitive is most natural.
Why is it привыкнуть (perfective) and not привыкать (imperfective)?

Привыкнуть (perfective) focuses on reaching the result: to get used to (successfully, eventually). That fits well with надеюсь (a hoped-for outcome).

Привыкать (imperfective) emphasizes the process: to be getting used to / to get used to gradually. You might see:

  • Я надеюсь привыкать к этим ценам… (less common; stresses the ongoing process)
  • Я пытаюсь привыкать к этим ценам. = I’m trying to get used to these prices (little by little).

In this sentence, надеюсь привыкнуть = “I hope I’ll manage to get used to it.”

Why does привыкнуть require к and not another preposition?

Because the verb привыкнуть / привыкать is used with the pattern:

  • привыкнуть к чему? / привыкать к чему? = to get used to what?

So к is simply the fixed government pattern for this verb.

Why is it к этим ценам (dative plural)? What case is этим?

The preposition к takes the dative case.

  • к чему? → dative
    So:
  • эти цены (nominative plural)
  • к этим ценам (dative plural)

этим is the dative plural form of этот.

What’s the difference between эти цены and этих цен (genitive) — why not genitive here?

Genitive (этих цен) is used in other contexts (negation, “some of,” after certain prepositions, etc.), but к specifically requires dative, not genitive.

So it’s not a meaning choice here; it’s a grammar requirement: к + dative.

Why is there a comma before хотя?

Хотя introduces a subordinate concessive clause (although …). In Russian, a subordinate clause is normally separated by a comma:

  • …, хотя … = …, although …
How is хотя different from но? Could I replace it?

They’re related but not identical:

  • хотя = although / even though (introduces a subordinate clause)
    • Я надеюсь…, хотя пока мне трудно.
  • но = but (coordinates two main clauses)
    • Я надеюсь привыкнуть к этим ценам, но пока мне трудно.

Both can work here. Хотя often feels a bit more like “concession” (acknowledging a contrast), while но is a straightforward “but.”

What does пока mean here — is it “while” or “for now”?

Here пока means for now / so far / at the moment.

Russian пока can mean: 1) while (simultaneous action): Пока я ел, он читал.
2) for now / currently: Пока мне трудно.

In your sentence it’s clearly #2: although for now it’s hard for me.

Why is it мне трудно and not я трудный or я труден?

Russian often expresses feelings/difficulty with an impersonal construction:

  • мне трудно = literally to me it is difficult → I find it difficult / it’s hard for me

Я трудный means I am a difficult person (describing your character), which is a different meaning.

So мне is dative marking the experiencer (the person who feels it’s difficult).

What does это refer to in мне это трудно? Is it necessary?

это is a placeholder pronoun meaning this/it, referring to the situation of getting used to these prices.

You can say:

  • хотя пока мне трудно (sounds natural; “though it’s hard for me for now”)
  • хотя пока мне это трудно (more explicit: “though this is hard for me for now”)

Including это emphasizes that this specific thing (getting used to the prices) is difficult.

Can the word order change? For example: Хотя пока мне трудно, я надеюсь привыкнуть к этим ценам.

Yes. Russian word order is flexible, and moving the хотя… clause to the front is normal:

  • Хотя пока мне это трудно, я надеюсь привыкнуть к этим ценам.
    This puts more focus on the difficulty first, then the hope.

Your original order first states the hope, then adds a concession. Both are correct; the difference is mainly emphasis and flow.