Il cane è bianco.

The dog is white.

Breakdown of Il cane è bianco.

• il cane: the dog
• essere: to be
• bianco: white

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?