La pausa è breve.

to be

Breakdown of La pausa è breve.

• la pausa: the break
• breve: short

Questions & Answers about La pausa è breve.

What is the grammatical structure of the sentence La pausa è breve?

It is a simple sentence that follows the pattern: subject + linking verb + predicate adjective. Here, La pausa (the break) is the subject, è is the third person singular form of essere (to be), and breve is the predicate adjective describing the subject.

How does the adjective breve agree with the noun pausa?

In Italian, many adjectives ending in -e are the same in the singular form for both masculine and feminine nouns. Since pausa is a feminine singular noun, breve is correctly used in its singular form. If the noun were plural, the adjective would typically change to brevi.

Why is the definite article la used in this sentence?

The article la is the feminine singular definite article in Italian. It is used with pausa because pausa is a feminine noun, similarly to how English uses "the" for specific nouns regardless of gender.

How is the verb essere used in this sentence and what does its form indicate?

The verb essere is used in its conjugated form è, which is the third person singular form. This form agrees with the singular subject la pausa and serves as a linking verb that connects the subject to its predicate adjective breve, essentially meaning "is" in English.

Can the adjective breve be placed before the noun (i.e., as in La breve pausa), and does that change the meaning?

Yes, it is grammatically acceptable to say La breve pausa. While both La pausa è breve and La breve pausa convey that the break is short, the position of the adjective can subtly influence the nuance. When used after the verb, as in La pausa è breve, the adjective serves as a predicate adjective and typically gives a straightforward description. When placed before the noun, it might add a slight emphasis or stylistic variation, but the core meaning remains essentially the same.