La tomaia è scollata, però la cucitura tiene.

Tomaia is a shoe-related word. It means the upper of a shoe: the part that covers the top and sides of the foot, above the sole.

So this sentence is talking about a shoe or similar footwear.

Italian often uses the definite article where English may or may not use the.

Here, la tomaia means the upper. It refers to a specific upper, probably the one on the shoe being discussed.

Also, tomaia is a feminine singular noun, so it takes la.

È scollata means is unglued / has come unglued / is detached because the glue has failed.

A few useful points:

• è = is
• scollata is the feminine singular form of scollato, a past participle/adjective
• it agrees with la tomaia, which is feminine singular

So:

• masculine singular: scollato
• feminine singular: scollata
• masculine plural: scollati
• feminine plural: scollate

In context, scollata describes the condition of the shoe upper.

Yes. It comes from scollare, which means to unglue, to come unstuck, or to detach where glue was used.

In everyday use, especially with shoes, essere scollato/a often means something like:

• to be coming apart at the glued part
• to have come unglued

So La tomaia è scollata suggests the upper has separated from another part, likely where it was glued.

Because it describes la tomaia, and tomaia is a feminine noun.

In Italian, adjectives and many participles used adjectivally must agree with the noun they describe.

• la tomaia è scollata
• il tacco è scollato = the heel has come unglued

So the ending changes to match the noun.

Però means however, but, or though.

In this sentence, it introduces a contrast:

• La tomaia è scollata = the upper has come unglued
• però la cucitura tiene = but the stitching is holding

So the idea is: there is damage, but one part is still holding together.

Yes, in many cases you could say:

La tomaia è scollata, ma la cucitura tiene.

That would also be natural.

The difference is subtle:

• ma = plain but
• però = however / but still / though, often a little more emphatic

Both work here. Però may sound slightly more like even so, the stitching is holding.

Cucitura means seam, stitching, or the sewn part.

In this context, it refers to the stitched join in the shoe. So even though the glued part has failed, the sewn part is still holding.

Tiene is from the verb tenere, which usually means to hold or to keep.

Here, la cucitura tiene means something like:

• the stitching is holding
• the seam is holding up
• the stitching is still keeping it together

This is a very natural use of tenere in Italian when talking about whether something resists stress or remains intact.

Examples:

• Questa vite non tiene. = This screw isn’t holding.
• La colla non tiene. = The glue isn’t holding.
• La cucitura tiene ancora. = The stitching is still holding.

Because tiene focuses on the idea of holding up / continuing to hold.

• la cucitura tiene = the stitching is holding
• la cucitura è tenuta would not sound natural here for this meaning

Tenere is commonly used actively in Italian to say that a structure, seam, glue, knot, etc. is holding.

So tiene is the idiomatic choice.

Yes. Italian often uses the present tense to describe the current condition of something.

• La tomaia è scollata = the upper is in a detached/unglued state now
• la cucitura tiene = the stitching is holding now

So the sentence is about the shoe’s present condition, not about narrating the exact moment when it came apart.

Yes.

• rotta means broken
• scollata specifically suggests unglued / detached where glue was involved

So scollata gives more precise information. It tells you the problem is not just generic damage, but separation at a glued point.

For shoes, that is very common and useful vocabulary.

Yes, exactly.

The contrast in the sentence suggests:

• one part has failed: the upper has come unglued
• but another part is still doing its job: the stitching is holding

So the shoe is damaged, but not necessarily falling apart completely.

A few natural English versions are:

• The upper has come unglued, but the stitching is holding.
• The upper is coming loose, but the seam is still holding.
• The shoe upper has detached, but the stitching is still holding it together.

Which version is best depends on context, but these all capture the Italian well.

Yes, very normal.

Since però introduces a contrast, it is commonly separated by a comma in writing:

La tomaia è scollata, però la cucitura tiene.

You may also see similar punctuation with ma, though comma use can vary a bit by style. Here the comma is completely natural.