La torre è più alta del nostro ufficio ed è molto affascinante.

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Breakdown of La torre è più alta del nostro ufficio ed è molto affascinante.

• alto: tall
• molto: very
• affascinante: fascinating
• più: more
• l'ufficio: the office
• la torre: the tower
• di: than
• il nostro: our

Questions & Answers about La torre è più alta del nostro ufficio ed è molto affascinante.

What does the phrase più alta mean in this sentence?

Più alta is the comparative form of alta (meaning “high” or “tall”). In Italian, you form comparatives by placing più before an adjective. Here, it indicates that the tower is “taller” than something else—in this case, our office.

Why is del used instead of just di in del nostro ufficio?

Del is a contraction of di + il. Since ufficio is a masculine singular noun and normally takes the article il, di and il contract to become del. This expresses the idea “than our office.”

How does the conjunction ed function in this sentence?

The conjunction ed means “and.” It links the two clauses of the sentence: the first compares the tower to the office, and the second adds that the tower is “very fascinating.” Ed is used instead of e to avoid the awkward repetition of vowel sounds when the next word begins with a vowel (here, è).

Is the subject la torre repeated in the second clause, or is it implied?

The subject la torre is implied in the second clause. Italian, like English, often omits repeating the subject when it remains the same in connected clauses. In ed è molto affascinante, the understood subject is still la torre.

Does the adjective affascinante change its form based on gender or number?

No, affascinante is an adjective that remains invariable; it has the same form for both masculine and feminine as well as for singular and plural in many contexts. Even though la torre is feminine, affascinante doesn’t change.

How is the word order in this Italian sentence similar to English?

The sentence follows a structure quite similar to English. It starts with the subject (La torre), followed by the verb (è), then the comparative adjective and its complement (più alta del nostro ufficio), and finally an additional clause (ed è molto affascinante). This parallel structure makes it easier for English speakers to understand and construct similar sentences in Italian.