Il cane corre.

the dog

Breakdown of Il cane corre.

• correre: to run

Questions & Answers about Il cane corre.

Why do we use il instead of lo before cane?

Il is the standard masculine singular article used before most consonants in Italian (e.g. il cane). The article lo is used when a masculine noun starts with specific letters or sounds like s + consonant (e.g. lo studente) or z (e.g. lo zaino). Since cane begins with a simple consonant 'c', it takes il.

Is corre derived from the verb correre?

Yes, corre is the third-person singular present tense form of correre (meaning to run). It literally translates to he/she/it runs, and here it refers to il cane as the dog runs.

Why is it il cane corre and not il cane corrono?

Corrono is the third-person plural form (for they run). Since there is only one dog here, you use corre (the singular form). If you had multiple dogs running, you would say i cani corrono.

Is cane masculine or feminine?

Cane is a masculine noun in Italian. That’s why the article il is used and not la. The feminine form for dog is often cagna, but in everyday usage, cane is typically used to refer to dogs in general.

Can I change the order and say corre il cane?

Although corre il cane would still be understood, it sounds less natural in standard Italian. Typically, the subject tends to come before the verb. However, in some contexts or poetic forms, you might find the verb first, but il cane corre is the most common phrasing.