Il poliziotto impedisce la rapina.

to prevent

Breakdown of Il poliziotto impedisce la rapina.

• il poliziotto: the policeman
• la rapina: the robbery

Questions & Answers about Il poliziotto impedisce la rapina.

Why are il and la both translated as the?

They are both definite articles, but Italian articles change to match the noun’s gender and number.

• il poliziotto = the policeman / the police officer
• la rapina = the robbery

Here:

• il is used with a masculine singular noun
• la is used with a feminine singular noun

So even though English just uses the, Italian has to choose the form that matches the noun.

Why is it poliziotto and not polizia?

Because poliziotto means policeman / police officer, while polizia means police as an institution or force.

So:

• il poliziotto = the policeman / police officer
• la polizia = the police

A native English speaker often expects polizia to mean policeman, but it does not.

What is the base form of impedisce?