La distanza è breve.

Because distanza is a feminine singular noun.

In Italian, nouns usually take an article that matches their gender and number:

• la = feminine singular
• il = masculine singular

Since distanza is feminine, the correct form is la distanza.

È means is and comes from the verb essere (to be).

The accent is important because:

• è = is
• e = and

So in this sentence, è must have the accent.

Because breve is one of the many Italian adjectives that end in -e in the singular.

These adjectives usually have:

• one singular form for both masculine and feminine: breve
• one plural form for both masculine and feminine: brevi

So:

• la distanza è breve
• il viaggio è breve
• le distanze sono brevi
• i viaggi sono brevi

In Italian, adjectives must agree with the noun they describe.

Here:

• distanza = feminine singular
• breve = singular form

Since breve is a singular adjective ending in -e, it already matches correctly.
If the noun were plural, the adjective would become brevi.

Because in this sentence breve is not directly placed next to the noun as part of a noun phrase. It comes after the verb è, so it is functioning as a predicate adjective.

Structure:

• La distanza = subject
• è = verb
• breve = adjective describing the subject

This is very similar to English:

• The distance is short

Normally, no.

In a regular Italian sentence, you usually need the article before a noun like distanza:

• La distanza è breve.

Without the article, Distanza è breve sounds unnatural in standard Italian.

You might see article-less forms only in special contexts such as:

• headings
• notes
• labels
• very compressed style

But as a normal sentence, use la.

Yes, it is grammatically correct and understandable.

That said, depending on the context, native speakers might also say things like:

• La distanza è corta
• Non è lontano
• È una distanza breve

Breve is perfectly possible, but it can sound a little more neutral or formal than some everyday alternatives.

Both can suggest short, but they are not always used in exactly the same way.

A useful general idea:

• breve is often common with time, speech, texts, intervals, and can sound a bit more formal or abstract
• corto/corta is often used for physical length and everyday descriptions

With distanza, both may appear depending on context, but learners will often hear more everyday phrasing such as:

• La distanza è corta
• La distanza è poca
• Non è lontano

So breve is not wrong, but it is worth noticing its style and usage.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

la dee-STAN-tsa eh BREH-veh

A few details:

• distanza has the stress on -stan-
• zz in distanza sounds like ts
• è is pronounced like eh
• breve has the stress on bre-

Approximate IPA: /la diˈstantsa ɛ ˈbrɛve/

The plural is:

Le distanze sono brevi.

Changes:

• la → le
• distanza → distanze
• è → sono
• breve → brevi

So all the parts adjust to match the plural subject.

You simply put non before the verb:

La distanza non è breve.

This is the normal pattern in Italian:

• non + verb

So:

• è = is
• non è = is not