È fantastico trovare nuovi amici durante un viaggio.

to be

Breakdown of È fantastico trovare nuovi amici durante un viaggio.

• trovare: to find
• l'amico: the friend
• durante: during
• nuovo: new
• il viaggio: the trip
• fantastico: fantastic

Questions & Answers about È fantastico trovare nuovi amici durante un viaggio.

What does È fantastico mean in this context, and how is it used?

It literally means "It’s fantastic." In this sentence, È fantastico is an impersonal construction used to express a general, enthusiastic opinion. It sets the tone for the idea that follows—namely, the activity of finding new friends.

Why is trovare presented in the infinitive form instead of being conjugated?

In Italian, after an impersonal expression like È fantastico, it’s common to use an infinitive to describe a general action. Here, trovare (meaning "to find") functions as the subject complement that explains what is fantastic, mirroring the structure found in English (i.e., "It’s fantastic to find…").

How does the prepositional phrase durante un viaggio function in the sentence?

Durante un viaggio translates to "during a trip" and acts as an adverbial phrase. It provides the temporal context for the activity, informing us that the new friendships are being made in the course of traveling.

Why is the adjective nuovi placed before the noun amici? Is this the standard order in Italian?

In Italian, adjectives can either precede or follow the noun, and their position can subtly change the nuance. In nuovi amici, placing nuovi before amici emphasizes the idea of recently formed or fresh friendships. This placement is quite natural and commonly used when speaking about making new friends.

How does the overall structure of this sentence compare to its English equivalent?

The structure is very similar. Both languages start with an impersonal expression of opinion (È fantastico / It’s fantastic), followed by an infinitive phrase that describes the action (trovare nuovi amici / to find new friends), and conclude with an adverbial phrase that sets the context (durante un viaggio / during a trip). This parallel construction makes the sentence approachable for English speakers learning Italian.