Il bambino gioca con il cane.

The child plays with the dog.

Breakdown of Il bambino gioca con il cane.

• il cane: the dog
• il bambino: the child
• giocare: to play
• con: with

Questions & Answers about Il bambino gioca con il cane.

Why do we use il instead of lo before bambino?

In Italian, we use il for masculine singular nouns that start with a consonant (like b in bambino). We use lo when the masculine singular noun starts with specific sounds, such as s + consonant, z, ps, pn, gn, or x (for example, lo studente, lo zaino). Because bambino starts with b, we use il.

What part of speech is gioca, and how is it formed?

Gioca is the third person singular present tense of the verb giocare (meaning "to play"). To form the present tense for verbs ending in -are (like giocare), you typically replace -are with the appropriate endings for each subject:
• Io gioco
• Tu giochi
• Lui/Lei/Lei gioca
• Noi giochiamo
• Voi giocate
• Loro giocano

Why do we use con here?

Con means "with" in Italian, just as in English. To say that the child is playing together with the dog, con is the correct preposition. It indicates companionship or the instrument used to do something.

Is there a specific rule for using bambino versus ragazzo?

Both bambino and ragazzo refer to a young male person, but bambino typically means a child (roughly under 10–12 years old), while ragazzo usually means an older boy or teenager. The choice depends on the age or context implied.

Why is cane also preceded by il?

Like bambino, the word cane is a masculine singular noun, and it starts with a consonant (c). Therefore, we follow the same pattern, using the article il for masculine singular nouns beginning with most consonants (il cane, il tavolo, il libro, etc.).