Today, I am going to share the homework correction from my JLPT N3 course!
The student’s sentence is not correct. Can you find the mistake?

 

[Student’s sentence]

この洗濯機は、丈夫で壊れづらいです。

*このせんたくきは、じょうぶでこわれづらいです。

 

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[My correction]

この洗濯機は、丈夫で壊れづらいです。
→この洗濯機は、丈夫で壊れにくいです。
This washing machine is durable and not easy to break.

 

〜にくい means something difficult for anyone to do or achieve.
Meanwhile, 〜づらい implies that something is distressful to do for only you, not anyone else.

The fact that the washing machine does not break down easily is part of the product information. It has nothing to do with personal intentions, so 壊れにくい should be used, not 壊れづらい.

 

e.g.
・先生(せんせい)の説明(せつめい)はわかりにくいです。
The teacher’s explanations are difficult to understand.
(Understanding is hard to achieve.)

・先生の説明はわかりづらいです。
I’m having trouble understanding the teacher’s explanations.
(Understanding is distressful.)

・この字(じ)は読(よ)みにくいです。
This is hard to read.
(Reading is hard to achieve.)

・この字は読みづらいです。
This handwriting is so bad it’s making my eyes hurt.
(Reading is distressful.)

I hope my explanation helps you. 😊

 

In the JLPT course, all lessons come with homework. If you submit your homework, I will reply with corrections.
I can break down the Japanese grammar and point out mistakes, explaining the structure and nuances of Japanese in an easy-to-understand way.
You can also ask me any questions in as much detail as you want. I will teach you until you get it!