Tutto il cibo nel giardino è fresco.

All the food in the garden is fresh.

Breakdown of Tutto il cibo nel giardino è fresco.

• essere: to be
• il cibo: the food
• il giardino: the garden
• nel: in
• fresco: fresh
• tutto: all

Questions & Answers about Tutto il cibo nel giardino è fresco.

Why is it tutto instead of tutti or tutte?

In this sentence, tutto is used as a masculine singular pronoun/determiner, matching the singular noun il cibo (food). Even though the idea in English might feel like “all foods,” in Italian, “food” is typically treated as a singular uncountable noun, so tutto is singular masculine to agree with il cibo.

Why do we say nel giardino instead of in il giardino?

In Italian, the preposition in + the article il merges into nel (a contraction also called an articulated preposition). So in il giardino becomes nel giardino without changing the meaning. It’s just the required form in standard Italian.

Can we say Tutto il cibo nel giardino sono freschi?

Not in standard Italian, because cibo is singular. Even though there might be multiple types of food, the noun cibo is considered a single, collective entity here. Therefore, we need the singular verb è and singular adjective fresco (matching the masculine singular noun cibo).

What is the difference between è fresco and è fresco as in fresh to taste or newly picked?

Italian generally uses è fresco to mean that something is fresh in both senses—recently picked or not stale. You can clarify context with extra detail. For example, "è freschissimo" might emphasize something extremely fresh, such as “just harvested.”

Could I say "Tutti i cibi nel giardino sono freschi" instead?

Yes, especially if you want to emphasize multiple distinct foods in the garden. In that case, each type of food (say vegetables, fruits, herbs) is considered a plural entity, so you would use the plural form: Tutti i cibi... sono freschi. This shifts the meaning to multiple specific items rather than food in general.