Il martello è pesante.

to be

Breakdown of Il martello è pesante.

• pesante: heavy
• il martello: the hammer

Questions & Answers about Il martello è pesante.

What is the function of the article il in this sentence?

Il is the definite article used for masculine singular nouns in Italian. It specifies that the noun martello (hammer) is a particular object, similar to how the functions in English.

How does the adjective pesante agree with the noun in the sentence?

In Italian, adjectives must agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify. Since martello is masculine and singular, the adjective pesante is also in its masculine singular form, ensuring consistency within the sentence.

Why is the adjective pesante placed after the noun martello instead of before it?

Italian typically places descriptive adjectives after the noun. In this sentence, pesante follows martello to describe its inherent quality (being heavy). Although some adjectives can precede the noun for emphasis or to convey figurative meaning, when describing literal attributes like weight, the adjective usually follows the noun.

What is the role of the verb è in the sentence?

È is the third person singular present tense form of the verb essere (to be). It links the subject il martello with the adjective pesante, forming the equivalent of the English sentence “The hammer is heavy.”

How would you change the sentence to indicate that there are multiple hammers?

To express the plural, you need to modify the article, noun, verb, and adjective. The sentence becomes I martelli sono pesanti: – I replaces il as the plural masculine article. – Martelli is the plural form of martello. – Sono is the plural form of è (essere). – Pesanti is the plural form of pesante.

Does the adjective pesante change form when describing feminine nouns in the singular?

No, in the singular form, pesante remains the same for both masculine and feminine nouns. For example, il martello è pesante (masculine) and la valigia è pesante (feminine) both use pesante. However, in the plural, the adjective changes to pesanti for both genders.