Lui ferma l'autobus.

he

Breakdown of Lui ferma l'autobus.

• l'autobus: the bus
• fermare: to stop

Questions & Answers about Lui ferma l'autobus.

Is the subject pronoun Lui necessary in this sentence, or can it be omitted?

Italian verb conjugations already reveal the subject, so including Lui is optional. In this case, it’s added for clarity or emphasis, making it explicit that he is the one who stops the bus.

What is the tense and person of the verb ferma in this sentence?

The verb ferma is the present tense, third person singular form of fermare. It clearly indicates an action performed by he, as in "He stops the bus."

Why is the article written as l'autobus instead of il autobus?

In Italian, when a masculine singular noun starts with a vowel, the definite article il contracts to l'. Since autobus begins with a vowel sound, it becomes l'autobus for smoother pronunciation.

Does the word order in Lui ferma l'autobus follow similar patterns to English?

Yes, the sentence follows a Subject-Verb-Object order, much like English. Lui is the subject, ferma is the verb, and l'autobus is the object, aligning with the English structure "He stops the bus."

Could the verb ferma be interpreted as referring to a reflexive action, such as "he stops himself"?

No, in this sentence ferma is used transitively with l'autobus as its direct object. If a reflexive meaning were intended, the verb would appear with a reflexive pronoun (e.g., si ferma), which is not the case here. This clearly indicates that the action is directed toward stopping the bus.

Does the sentence imply that Lui is a bus driver, or could it have another context?

The sentence Lui ferma l'autobus literally means "He stops the bus" and doesn’t specify whether Lui is the driver or someone causing the bus to halt. The exact role of Lui would depend on additional context not provided in this sentence.