We all struggle with lots of things in different ways. In Italian, there's a combination of two words we commonly use for this: fare fatica. Literally, it's "to make effort or exertion." It can mean "to make an effort," but "to struggle" is closer to the idea. Lots of times you make an effort because you are trying hard, and that's when we can use impegnarsi (to make an effort). It's easy to get confused.

Let's look at some examples from Yabla videos of fare fatica. In our first example, the meaning is literal. The speaker has Covid-19!

Faccio fatica ad alzarmi dal letto.

I have a hard time getting out of bed.

Caption 15, Fuori era primavera Viaggio nell'Italia del lockdown - Part 4

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The meaning can be mental, too.  

Fai anche fatica a trovare anche [sic] lavoro.

You also struggle to find work, too.

Caption 17, Benvenuti in Galera Bollate, Milano - Part 17

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When you are trying to understand someone, but you fail or almost, you can say.

Faccio fatica a capire il tuo inglese. Parliamo italiano (I'm having a hard time understanding your English. Let's speak Italian).

When you exert yourself, you can also use the verb faticare (to toil, to labor).

So you could also say,

Fatico a capire il tuo inglese (I struggle to understand your English). 

Il bisnonno credo che lavorasse sulle navi ospedale, durante la guerra, e loro avevano un orto a Procida per cui campavano delle cose dell'orto e hanno faticato sempre a mettere insieme il pranzo.

I think her great-grandfather worked on hospital ships, during the war, and they had a vegetable garden in Procida so they lived on things from the vegetable garden and they always struggled to pull lunch together.

Captions 7-10, Vera e Giuliano Montaldo - Part 5

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When you are just trying hard or working hard, then the reflexive verb impegnarsi works well.

Hai visto che quando ti impegni le cose le sai fare?

You see that when you make an effort, you are able to do things?

Caption 10, Sposami EP 2 - Part 17

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Impegnarsi can also mean to commit, such as when you promise to do something. 

La ditta Soleri si era impegnata a comprarlo, per almeno cinque anni.

The Soleri company had committed to buying it, for at least five years.

Caption 15, Il Commissario Manara S2EP6 - Sotto tiro - Part 3

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When we use impegno as a noun, it can mean a commitment, as something you have committed to doing, or it can mean you have a prior commitment, such as an appointment or errand. 

No, domani avrei un impegno.

No, tomorrow, I have a commitment.

Caption 54, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP 4 Maltempo - Part 6

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As in any language, there are different ways to say the same thing, or something similar. Keep your eyes and ears open so you can expand your vocabulary, and choose just the right word when the time comes. 

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