La crescita di questo albero è lenta.

to be

Breakdown of La crescita di questo albero è lenta.

• di: of
• l'albero: the tree
• questo: this
• la crescita: the growth
• lento: slow

Questions & Answers about La crescita di questo albero è lenta.

Why is crescita used with the feminine article la?

Nouns ending in “-a” in Italian are generally feminine. The word crescita (which means “growth”) follows this pattern, so it takes the feminine article la.

Why does the adjective lenta end with -a instead of -o or -e?

In Italian, adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe. Since crescita is feminine singular, the adjective lenta is also in the feminine singular form, ending in “-a”.

What is the role of di questo albero in the sentence?

The phrase di questo albero specifies whose growth we’re talking about. It literally means “of this tree,” specifying that the slow growth belongs to the tree. This structure is an example of the di + noun construction to show possession or association.

Could I say La crescita è lenta di questo albero?

It doesn’t sound natural in Italian. Generally, the phrase di questo albero (or any prepositional phrase specifying growth of something) is placed immediately after crescita. So, La crescita di questo albero è lenta is the standard, more fluid way to say it.

Can I use lentamente instead of lenta?

You could say La crescita di questo albero avviene lentamente, but that changes the structure: using lentamente (an adverb) describes how the growth is happening, whereas lenta (an adjective) describes what the growth is like. Both forms are correct, but they focus on slightly different aspects of the sentence.