Il fumo provoca un problema.

the problem

Breakdown of Il fumo provoca un problema.

• uno: a
• il fumo: the smoke
• provocare: to provoke; cause

Questions & Answers about Il fumo provoca un problema.

Why is it il fumo and not just fumo?

In Italian, a definite article is often used where English might use a noun by itself. Il fumo can mean smoke in a general sense, not only the smoke in a very specific sense.

So Italian commonly says:

• Il fumo fa male.
• Il fumo provoca un problema.

Using fumo without il is possible in some contexts, but il fumo sounds more natural here when talking about smoke as a general thing.

Why is the article il and not lo?

Italian uses different forms of the depending on the sound that follows.

Use il before most singular masculine nouns beginning with a consonant:

• il fumo
• il libro
• il problema

Use lo before masculine singular nouns beginning with:

• s + consonant: lo studente
• z: lo zaino
• ps: lo psicologo
• gn: lo gnomo
• x: lo xilofono

Since fumo starts with a simple f sound, the correct article is il.

Is fumo masculine or feminine, and how can I tell?