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Questions & Answers about Il cane è bianco.
What does each word in Il cane è bianco mean in English?
Il translates as the (used for masculine singular nouns), cane means dog, è is the third person singular form of to be (translated as is), and bianco means white. Thus, the whole sentence means The dog is white.
Why is the definite article il used in this sentence?
The article il is used because cane is a masculine singular noun. In Italian, definite articles must agree in gender and number with the noun they accompany. Il specifically marks a singular masculine noun.
What is the importance of the accent in è?
The accent on è distinguishes it from the conjunction e, which means and. With the accent, è represents the verb to be in its third person singular form, making clear that it means is in this context.
How does the adjective bianco agree with the noun in the sentence?
In Italian, adjectives agree with the noun in gender and number. Since cane is masculine singular, bianco remains in its default masculine singular form. If the noun were feminine or plural, the adjective would change to match those forms (for example, bianca for feminine singular or bianchi for masculine plural).
Is the word order in Il cane è bianco typical in Italian, and can it be changed?
Yes, the word order here—subject (Il cane), followed by the verb (è), and then the adjective (bianco)—is the typical structure for a descriptive sentence in Italian. Although adjectives can sometimes precede the noun for stylistic emphasis, in clear, factual statements like this one they usually follow the noun.
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