Learn Italian: Devi affrontare questa difficoltà da solo. - You must face this difficulty alone.

Devi affrontare questa difficoltà da solo.

You must face this difficulty alone.

Breakdown of Devi affrontare questa difficoltà da solo.

questa

this (feminine)

from, at (someone's place) / by (oneself), on one's own

Questions & Answers about Devi affrontare questa difficoltà da solo.

How is the noun difficoltà formed?

It is formed by adding the suffix -ità to the root of the adjective difficile (difficult), creating the abstract noun difficoltà (difficulty). Notice that all abstract nouns ending in -ità are feminine, which is why it uses the feminine demonstrative adjective questa.

If I wanted to say "these difficulties", how would difficoltà change?

It wouldn't change at all! Italian nouns that end with an accented vowel, like those with the -tà suffix, are invariable. The plural is indicated only by the surrounding words, so "these difficulties" would be queste difficoltà.

What is the root of the verb affrontare?

It comes from the noun fronte (forehead or front). While in English we say "to face" a problem using the word for "face", in Italian you literally "front" it or meet it "forehead to forehead".

Why use da solo instead of just solo?

Da solo specifically means "by yourself" or "on your own" (doing an action without help). If you used just solo, it would sound more like "lonely" or the simple state of being alone. Remember that it must agree with the subject: if you are speaking to a woman, you must say da sola.