La distanza è breve.

The distance is short.

Breakdown of La distanza è breve.

• essere: to be
• breve: short
• la distanza: the distance

Questions & Answers about La distanza è breve.

Why is it la distanza and not il distanza?

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.

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Why does è have an accent?

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.

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Why is the adjective breve and not breva?

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

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How do we know breve agrees correctly with distanza?