Il sorriso del mio amico è un vero dono.

to be

Breakdown of Il sorriso del mio amico è un vero dono.

• di: of
• l'amico: the friend
• mio: my
• il sorriso: the smile
• vero: true
• il dono: the gift

Questions & Answers about Il sorriso del mio amico è un vero dono.

Why is del used before mio amico instead of di?

In Italian, di often contracts with the definite article il to become del. Since amico is preceded by the article il ("the friend"), it’s combined as di + il → del. So del mio amico literally means of my friend with the contraction in place.

Why does mio amico have the article il before mio?

When talking about a singular family member (for example mio padre, mia madre), you usually don’t use the article. However, for amico (friend) or for non-family nouns, the article is needed. Thus il mio amico is the correct form, meaning my friend with a definite article.

What does vero mean in un vero dono?

Vero in this context means real or genuine. So un vero dono conveys the sense of a truly special or genuine gift.

Why is it un vero dono instead of uno vero dono?

The word uno is used before masculine nouns beginning with s+consonant, z, gn, ps, or x. Since vero begins with v, you use un. Hence, it becomes un vero dono.