Il tempo mattutino è fresco.

The morning weather is cool.

Breakdown of Il tempo mattutino è fresco.

• essere: to be
• fresco: cool
• il tempo: the weather
• mattutino: morning

Questions & Answers about Il tempo mattutino è fresco.

What is the literal word-for-word translation of Il tempo mattutino è fresco.?

Breaking it down:
• Il means the.
• Tempo can mean weather or time; in this context, it refers to weather.
• Mattutino means morning (acting as an adjective to specify the time of day).
• È is the present tense of essere, translating as is.
• Fresco means cool.
So the sentence translates to "The morning weather is cool."

How can I tell that tempo here means weather rather than time?

In Italian, tempo is ambiguous because it can refer to both time and weather. The clue is the adjective fresco, which describes a temperature quality – something you wouldn’t say about time. Therefore, the context makes it clear that tempo here means weather.

What role does mattutino play in this sentence?

Mattutino is an adjective that modifies tempo, specifying that the weather being described occurs during the morning. Its placement after tempo is common in Italian when using adjectives that denote time-of-day or specific qualities, emphasizing that it’s the morning weather that is cool.

Why is è used and what does it represent?

È is the third person singular present form of the verb essere (to be). In this sentence, it functions as the linking verb, connecting the subject Il tempo mattutino with the predicate adjective fresco. Essentially, it declares that the morning weather is cool.

Why is the adjective fresco chosen instead of, say, freddo?

While both fresco and freddo relate to coldness, fresco conveys a sense of coolness that is pleasant and moderate—a typical condition for morning weather. Freddo usually implies that something is really cold, which might not be the intended description here. The choice of fresco suggests a refreshing, gentle coolness rather than a harsh cold.

Why is the definite article Il necessary before tempo mattutino?

In Italian, nouns almost always require a definite article when they refer to general or specific concepts. In this case, Il tempo is used as a general term to denote the weather. Including Il is a grammatical necessity and also helps to anchor the sentence by clearly introducing the subject—the specific state of the morning weather.