Breakdown of Un mucchio di foglie copre la strada.
di
of
la foglia
the leaf
coprire
to cover
la strada
the road
Questions & Answers about Un mucchio di foglie copre la strada.
Why is it un mucchio and not uno mucchio?
Because mucchio is a masculine singular noun, and the indefinite article used before it is un.
Italian uses uno only before certain masculine singular words, such as words beginning with:
Since mucchio begins with a normal m sound, the correct form is un mucchio.
Why is the verb copre singular if foglie is plural?
Because the grammatical subject is un mucchio, not foglie.
In Un mucchio di foglie copre la strada, the main noun is mucchio = pile / heap, which is singular.
di foglie just explains what the pile is made of.
So the verb agrees with mucchio:
- Un mucchio di foglie copre la strada.
- not standard: Un mucchio di foglie coprono la strada.
A good way to see it is:
- A pile of leaves covers the road.
The same thing happens in English.
What does di mean here?