Il costo del viaggio è alto.

The cost of the trip is high.

Breakdown of Il costo del viaggio è alto.

• essere: to be
• di: of
• il viaggio: the trip
• alto: high
• il costo: the cost

Questions & Answers about Il costo del viaggio è alto.

What does the sentence Il costo del viaggio è alto mean in English?

It translates to "The cost of the trip is high." In this sentence, Il costo means "the cost," del viaggio is a contraction that means "of the trip," and è alto translates as "is high."

How is the contraction del formed and what does it represent?

Del is a contraction of the preposition di (meaning "of") and the definite article il (meaning "the"). Together, del translates to "of the," which links costo and viaggio to express possession or association—the trip’s cost.

Why is the adjective alto placed after the verb è instead of directly before costo?

In Italian, when using the verb essere (to be) as a linking verb, the adjective that describes the subject typically follows the verb. Here, alto follows è as a predicate adjective that describes the state or quality of the subject, il costo del viaggio.

What role does the definite article Il play in this sentence?

The definite article Il specifies that the sentence is talking about a particular or known cost. It functions much like "the" in English, identifying costo as a specific noun that both the speaker and listener recognize or can infer from context.

How does subject-verb agreement work in this sentence?

The subject of the sentence is the noun phrase Il costo del viaggio, which is singular. The verb è is the third person singular form of essere, and the adjective alto is in the masculine singular form. All elements agree in number and gender, ensuring proper grammatical consistency.

Is there any nuance to using the adjective alto to describe il costo?

Yes, while alto literally means "high," in this context it implies that the cost is relatively expensive. Italian often uses adjectives directly to describe qualities such as cost, and here alto conveys the idea that the expense is significant or more than what might be expected.