French Expression · Native
avoir du mal à
to have difficulty doing something
Pronunciation: ah-VWAHR doo MAL ah
Meaning
To find something hard or challenging to do.
Example
J'ai du mal à me lever tôt le matin.
I have difficulty waking up early in the morning.
Common mistakes & tips
- Practice avoir du mal à out loud — read the pronunciation guide above and repeat.
- Use it in your own sentence today; reuse beats rereading.
- Pay attention to context: this is a native-level French expression.