Il dipinto moderno è interessante.

to be

Breakdown of Il dipinto moderno è interessante.

• interessante: interesting
• il dipinto: the painting
• moderno: modern

Questions & Answers about Il dipinto moderno è interessante.

Why do we use il instead of lo?

In Italian, il is used before most masculine singular nouns that begin with a consonant (like dipinto). We use lo only for nouns starting with certain consonant clusters (e.g., s+consonant, z, gn, ps, pn, x). Since dipinto starts with D, il is correct.

What is the difference between dipinto and quadro?

Both can mean a painting. Dipinto literally refers to something painted (it emphasizes the act or the result of painting), while quadro is a broader term for a framed picture, which can be a painting, a photo, or another type of artwork. In everyday usage, quadro is more common, but dipinto is perfectly correct and perhaps slightly more formal.

Why does moderno come after dipinto?

In Italian, most adjectives usually follow the noun they describe (e.g., il dipinto moderno). However, some adjectives can come before or after, depending on the nuance or emphasis. Adjectives that describe inherent qualities or standard attributes (like bello, brutto, buono, grande) often come before the noun, but it’s not a strict rule. In this case, moderno after the noun is the most natural placement.

How is è pronounced compared to e (meaning "and")?

È (the verb "is") has an open "eh" sound with a stressed vowel. E (the conjunction "and") is pronounced with a shorter, unstressed "eh" sound. The accent on è indicates it’s a distinct word meaning “is” rather than just a connector.

Is the sentence structure Il dipinto moderno è interessante common in Italian?

Yes, it’s a very common structure: [article] + [noun] + [adjective] + [verb] + [complement]. It’s straightforward and closely parallels how you might say “The modern painting is interesting” in English, except that in Italian the adjective typically follows the noun.