Il cane vecchio dorme sul letto.

the dog

Breakdown of Il cane vecchio dorme sul letto.

• dormire: to sleep
• su: on
• vecchio: old

Questions & Answers about Il cane vecchio dorme sul letto.

Why is the article il used instead of lo with cane?

In Italian, lo is reserved for masculine nouns that begin with z, s + consonant, gn, ps, pn, x, or y. Since cane begins with a simple consonant c, the correct article is il.

Why does the adjective vecchio come after the noun cane?

In Italian, adjectives frequently appear after the noun they modify. While certain adjectives can precede the noun for stylistic or emphatic reasons, placing vecchio after cane is the more neutral choice. You could also say Il vecchio cane, but Il cane vecchio emphasizes that the dog in question is old without giving a special connotation to oldness.

Is sul a single word, or is it a contraction?

Sul is a contraction of su + il, meaning on the. Here, sul letto translates literally to on the bed.

Why do we use dorme instead of sta dormendo?