It is hard for me to explain why this sounds strange.

Question

Can someone explain to me why this sentence sounds strange? ...

It is hard to explain for me why this sounds strange.

and why it doesn't have the same meaning as...

It is hard for me to explain why this sounds strange.

Avangi · Accepted Answer

AnonymousIt is hard to explain for me why this sounds strange.

It is hard for me to explain why this sounds strange.

The infinitive "to explain" as a "verbal" can take a direct object and an indirect object just as a finite verb can.

In the first example, you are the indirect object. (Please explain this for me.) "This" is the direct object in my simplified version. We don't know who is doing the explaining, if anyone. The direct object of the infinitive is the phrase, "why this sounds strange."

In your second example, "for me" is simply a modifier, describing "hard," the main verb complement. In this case, YOU are the explainer; and the beneficiary, or indirect object, is unknown.

The main difference in the two examples is the role of the speaker, YOU.
In the first one, you are being explained to. (indirect object of the infinitive)
In the second one, you are the actor, or the person doing the explaining.

The reason for the difference, of course, is the placement of "for me."

The first example is unnatural, and a bit ambiguous.
It sounds as if you intended the meaning of the second example, and simply messed it up.

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you for your great explanation.

Yes, many of my students mess this sentence up, but it was difficult to explain to them why you can't put the "for me" after the word "explain."

Avangi · Answer

AnonymousIt is hard to explain for me why this sounds strange.

I believe students often think of "hard to explain" as a fixed expression, and they don't want to break it up with the modifier "for me." (So they put it afterward.)

It's similar in this respect to "hard to take," which also seems like a fixed expression:

This is difficult. This is difficult for me.

This is hard to take. This is hard to take for me. (incorrect, but less offensive than your example)
This differs from your example, because it's impossible to mistake "for me" as an indirect object.

This is hard for me to take. (correct)

You can also put the "for me" at the beginning:

For me, this is hard to take.
For me, this is hard to explain.

_____________________________

The "misinterpreted" version of your original would be easier to explain if you added the actor:

It is hard for anyone to explain for/to me why this sounds strange. (correct)

Anonymous · Answer

Thanks again!

It is hard for me to explain why this sounds strange.

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