Il motivo del mio ritardo è il traffico intenso.

The reason for my delay is heavy traffic.

Breakdown of Il motivo del mio ritardo è il traffico intenso.

• essere: to be
• di: of
• il mio: my
• il traffico: the traffic
• il ritardo: the delay
• il motivo: the reason

Questions & Answers about Il motivo del mio ritardo è il traffico intenso.

Why is the contraction del used in the phrase del mio ritardo?

Del is a contraction of the preposition di and the definite article il. In Italian, when a preposition like di is followed by a masculine singular noun with the article il, they combine into del. So del mio ritardo literally means di il mio ritardo, which translates to “of my delay.”

Why is the adjective intenso placed after the noun traffico?

In Italian, adjectives most often follow the noun they describe, especially when they are used in a descriptive rather than a figurative or subjective sense. Intenso follows traffico to adhere to this typical word order, mirroring how Italian generally places descriptive adjectives after the noun, unlike English where adjectives usually come before the noun.

What is the overall grammatical structure of the sentence Il motivo del mio ritardo è il traffico intenso?

The sentence uses a subject–linking verb–predicate structure. The subject is Il motivo del mio ritardo (“the reason for my delay”), the linking verb è (a form of essere, meaning “is”) connects the subject to its explanation—the predicate compliment il traffico intenso (“the heavy traffic”). This structure shows a direct equivalence between the cause of the delay and the condition described.

Why are definite articles used in both parts of the sentence?

Definite articles are used to specify and pinpoint particular items or concepts. In Il motivo del mio ritardo, Il indicates a specific, known reason for the delay, while in il traffico intenso, il similarly specifies a particular type of traffic. This use is similar to English where we say “the reason” and “the heavy traffic” to refer to known or contextually identifiable entities.

Could the word order in this sentence be rearranged for emphasis, or is it fixed?

While Italian does allow for a certain degree of flexibility in word order for stylistic or emphatic reasons, the basic structure of a copulative sentence like this one is generally maintained to keep the meaning clear. Changing the order significantly—such as placing the predicate before the linking verb or subject—might confuse the intended message. Thus, for clarity and correctness, it’s best to stick with the standard order: subject, linking verb, then predicate.