Guardo il cielo nel giardino.

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Breakdown of Guardo il cielo nel giardino.

• il giardino: the garden
• nel: in
• guardare: to watch
• il cielo: the sky

Questions & Answers about Guardo il cielo nel giardino.

Why is il used before cielo?

In Italian, nouns typically require a definite article to indicate a specific object (in this case, the sky). Il is the masculine singular article used for most words that begin with a consonant, so il cielo literally means the sky.

What does nel mean?

Nel is a contraction of in + il, translating roughly to in the. So nel giardino means in the garden.

Can guardo also mean I see or I watch?

Yes, guardo comes from the verb guardare, which means to look or to watch. In this sentence, it can imply you are looking at or watching the sky.

Is there a difference between vedere and guardare in Italian?

Yes. Vedere means to see (often passive or involuntary), while guardare means to look at or to watch (intentional action). If you say vedo il cielo, you're simply seeing it. If you say guardo il cielo, you're actively looking at it.

Why is giardino masculine and not feminine?

Italian nouns have assigned genders, and giardino (meaning garden) is masculine. Unfortunately, there’s no simple rule to determine gender for every word; you generally learn them with each noun. Giardino takes the masculine article il (singular) or i (plural: i giardini).