Le cuffie nuove hanno un suono migliore.

to have

Breakdown of Le cuffie nuove hanno un suono migliore.

• nuovo: new
• il suono: the sound
• migliore: better

Questions & Answers about Le cuffie nuove hanno un suono migliore.

Why does the adjective nuove come after the noun cuffie in this sentence, while in English adjectives usually precede the noun?

In Italian, descriptive adjectives often follow the noun they modify. In this sentence, cuffie nuove follows the typical Italian word order, meaning “headphones new” which naturally translates to “new headphones” in English.

What does the comparative adjective migliore mean, and why is it used instead of a form like più buono?

Migliore is the irregular comparative form of buono (good), meaning “better.” Instead of constructing the comparative with più (more) plus the adjective (i.e., più buono), Italian uses the single word migliore to express this idea.

Why does the sentence use the definite article le with cuffie and the indefinite article un with suono?

Each noun in Italian has its own gender and number. Cuffie is a feminine plural noun, so it takes the definite article le (“the headphones”). Conversely, suono is a masculine singular noun, and here it is used in a general sense to denote a quality (sound), so it takes the indefinite article un (“a sound”).

What is the role of the verb hanno in this sentence, and why is it conjugated in this form?

Hanno is the third-person plural present-tense form of the verb avere (“to have”), and it agrees with the plural subject le cuffie. Its role is to indicate that the headphones possess a better sound.

How do adjectives agree with nouns in Italian, as illustrated by cuffie nuove and suono migliore?

In Italian, adjectives must agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify. In le cuffie nuove, nuove is feminine plural to match cuffie. With suono migliore, suono is masculine singular. Although many adjectives change form to reflect gender and number, the irregular comparative migliore remains the same regardless of the noun’s gender in the singular form.