Word
Dopo colazione, mio cugino arriva e mi aiuta a controllare la lavagna in cucina.
Meaning
After breakfast, my cousin arrives and helps me check the board in the kitchen.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Dopo colazione, mio cugino arriva e mi aiuta a controllare la lavagna in cucina.
in
in
mio
my
e
and
aiutare
to help
lui
he
mi
me
la cucina
the kitchen
dopo
after
arrivare
to arrive
la colazione
the breakfast
il cugino
the cousin
controllare
to check
la lavagna
the board
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Questions & Answers about Dopo colazione, mio cugino arriva e mi aiuta a controllare la lavagna in cucina.
Why is there no article before "colazione"?
In Italian, when we talk about meals (like colazione, pranzo, cena), we often omit the article. This is a standard usage: "Dopo colazione," "a pranzo," "a cena," etc. When referring to a general meal, the article is usually not included.
Why do we say "mio cugino" and not "il mio cugino"?
In Italian, possessive adjectives with singular, unmodified family members typically drop the definite article. So we say mio cugino, mia sorella, mio padre, but we maintain the article if the family member is plural or modified (e.g., i miei cugini, la mia cara sorella).
How come "arriva" is used here instead of "viene"?
Arriva (he/she arrives) and viene (he/she comes) can sometimes be interchangeable in casual speech. However, arriva suggests a more direct sense of completing a journey or reaching a destination. Viene emphasizes the action of coming toward the subject. In this context, "mio cugino arriva" points to him having just reached the house or place in question.
Why "mi aiuta a controllare" instead of just "mi aiuta controllare"?
In Italian, certain verbs that are followed by another verb in the infinitive require a preposition. Aiutare is typically followed by a before another infinitive: "aiutare a fare qualcosa." So "mi aiuta a controllare" is the correct construction.
Why is the sentence "la lavagna in cucina" instead of "una lavagna" or some other article?
Using la implies it’s a specific board in the kitchen that both the speaker and the listener likely know about. If the speaker said "una lavagna in cucina," it could imply introducing a new or unspecified board. Since we’re talking about a particular board in the kitchen, la lavagna is more precise.
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