hurdle
Loading your saved state.
hurdle / obstacle
In a figurative sense, a problem, difficulty, or obstacle that must be overcome in order to reach a goal.
Die bürokratischen Hürden für eine Baugenehmigung sind oft sehr hoch.
The bureaucratic hurdles for a building permit are often very high.
hurdle
An obstacle in track and field that runners have to jump over in a hurdles race.
Beim 110-Meter-Lauf müssen die Athleten zehn Hürden überwinden.
In the 110-meter race, the athletes have to clear ten hurdles.
The figurative meaning 'Hindernis' (obstacle) or 'Problem' (problem) derives directly from the hurdle in sports. The idea is that you have to 'jump over' or 'overcome' a problem, just like an athlete clears the hurdle.
Die letzte Prüfung war die letzte große Hürde vor dem Abschluss.
The final exam was the last major hurdle before graduation.
In the figurative sense, 'Hürde' (hurdle/obstacle) is often combined with the verbs 'nehmen' (to take/clear), 'überwinden' (to overcome), or 'meistern' (to master). The verb 'darstellen' (to represent/constitute) is also common: 'Etwas stellt eine Hürde dar' (Something constitutes a hurdle).
Sie hat alle Hürden mit Bravour genommen.
She cleared all the hurdles with flying colors.
To describe the type of problem, 'Hürde' (hurdle/obstacle) is often combined with adjectives such as 'bürokratisch' (bureaucratic), 'finanziell' (financial), 'rechtlich' (legal), or 'technisch' (technical).
Viele kleine Unternehmen scheitern an den bürokratischen Hürden.
Many small businesses fail because of the bureaucratic hurdles.
difficulty
Schwierigkeit and Hürde can both refer to a problem. A Schwierigkeit generally makes a task complicated or laborious; a Hürde stands more concretely between a person and their goal and must be overcome. Hürde is therefore often appropriate for a clear obstacle on the way to a goal.
Die fehlende Genehmigung war die letzte Hürde vor dem Start des Projekts.
The missing permit was the final hurdle before the project could start.
Die unklaren Angaben waren eine Schwierigkeit bei der Vorbereitung des Projekts.
The unclear information was a difficulty in preparing the project.
