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Questions & Answers about Il pavimento è sporco.
What is the full translation of "Il pavimento è sporco" and what does each word mean?
The sentence translates to "The floor is dirty." Here, il is the masculine singular definite article meaning "the," pavimento means "floor," è is the third person singular present form of essere (to be), meaning "is," and sporco is an adjective that means "dirty."
Why is the definite article il used before pavimento?
Il is used because pavimento is a masculine singular noun. In Italian, articles must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Since pavimento is masculine singular, il is the appropriate article, similar to "the" for masculine nouns in English.
What role does è play in this sentence?
È functions as the linking verb in the sentence. It is the third person singular form of essere, which means "is." It connects the subject (il pavimento) to its descriptive complement (sporco), indicating the state or condition of the floor.
How does the adjective sporco agree with the noun in this sentence?
The adjective sporco is in its masculine singular form, which matches the gender (masculine) and number (singular) of pavimento. In Italian, adjectives must agree with the noun they describe; if the noun were feminine or plural, the adjective would change form accordingly.
How would you form a negative version of this sentence?
To form the negative, simply add non before the verb. Thus, "Il pavimento è sporco" becomes "Il pavimento non è sporco," which translates to "The floor is not dirty."
Why does the sentence follow the subject-verb-adjective word order, and is it similar to English?
Yes, the sentence follows a subject-verb-adjective order similar to English. Il pavimento (subject) comes first, followed by è (linking verb), and then sporco (adjective describing the subject). This order is common in both Italian and English when describing a state or condition.
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