Lui ha comprato una collana per sua madre, perché ama i gioielli semplici.

He bought a necklace for his mother, because she loves simple jewelry.

Breakdown of Lui ha comprato una collana per sua madre, perché ama i gioielli semplici.

• comprare: to buy
• per: for
• lui: he
• perché: because
• semplice: simple
• la madre: the mother
• amare: to love
• la collana: the necklace
• sua: his
• il gioiello: the jewel

Questions & Answers about Lui ha comprato una collana per sua madre, perché ama i gioielli semplici.

What tense is used in "ha comprato," and how is it formed?

"Ha comprato" is in the present perfect tense (passato prossimo). It is formed using the auxiliary verb avere in the present tense ("ha") plus the past participle of comprare ("comprato"). This tense is typically used to describe actions completed in the past that have relevance to the present.

Why is the subject pronoun "Lui" explicitly included instead of being omitted?

Although Italian often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending makes the subject clear, "Lui" is included here for emphasis and clarity. It reinforces that he is the one who bought the necklace, which can be particularly useful for contrast or to avoid ambiguity.

Why is the possessive adjective "sua" used without a definite article before "madre"? Shouldn't it be "la sua madre"?

In Italian, when referring to family members, it is common to use the possessive adjective without a definite article if the relationship is clear. For example, saying "ha chiamato sua madre" is standard. Although you might sometimes see "la sua madre," omitting the article is both grammatically correct and typical when emphasizing the familial relationship.

Why is there a comma before the "perché" clause in the sentence?

The comma separates the main clause from the subordinate clause that explains the reason for the action. Here, "perché ama i gioielli semplici" provides the explanation for why he bought the necklace. Italian punctuation often employs a comma in such cases to clearly mark the transition between the main statement and the explanatory clause.

What is the significance of the adjective placement in "i gioielli semplici"?

In Italian, adjectives that describe nouns typically follow the noun. In this case, semplici comes after gioielli (jewelry), which is the standard word order. This positioning helps specify a characteristic of the jewelry—in this case, that it is "simple"—and is consistent with the general rule that descriptive adjectives usually follow the noun in Italian.