Il vestito è alla moda.

The dress is fashionable.

Breakdown of Il vestito è alla moda.

• essere: to be
• il vestito: the dress
• alla moda: fashionable

Questions & Answers about Il vestito è alla moda.

What does each component of the sentence "Il vestito è alla moda" mean?

"Il vestito" means "the dress"—here, "il" is the masculine singular definite article and "vestito" is the noun for dress (or outfit). "È" is the third-person singular form of essere (to be), translating as "is", and "alla moda" is an idiomatic expression meaning "fashionable" or "in style."

How is the phrase "alla moda" constructed, and what role does it play in the sentence?

The phrase "alla moda" functions as an adjective phrase that describes the subject "Il vestito." It is constructed by contracting the preposition "a" (to/in) with the feminine definite article "la", resulting in "alla." Combined with "moda" (meaning "fashion"), the whole expression forms a fixed idiom that means "fashionable."

Why is the noun "vestito" preceded by the article "il," and what does this indicate about its gender?

In Italian, every noun is assigned a gender, and the accompanying article must agree with that gender. "Vestito" ends in -o, which typically signals a masculine noun, so it takes the masculine singular article "il." This agreement in gender is a key aspect of Italian grammar.

What is the function of the verb in this sentence?