Il mio amico ama cantare una canzone mentre prepara la colazione.

My friend loves to sing a song while making breakfast.

Breakdown of Il mio amico ama cantare una canzone mentre prepara la colazione.

• l'amico: the friend
• preparare: to prepare
• il mio: my
• la colazione: the breakfast
• mentre: while
• amare: to love
• cantare: to sing
• la canzone: the song

Questions & Answers about Il mio amico ama cantare una canzone mentre prepara la colazione.

What does the verb ama mean and why is it used with an infinitive in this sentence?

Ama comes from the verb amare, which means “to love.” In Italian, when expressing an affinity for an activity, the main verb is commonly followed by an infinitive. Thus, ama cantare translates as “loves to sing.”

Why is cantare in its infinitive form rather than being conjugated?

Verbs like amare that express feelings or preferences are typically followed by another verb in the infinitive form. This construction indicates the action being loved—in this case, “to sing”—without needing to conjugate cantare.

What does the word mentre mean in the sentence?

Mentre means “while” in English. It introduces the subordinate clause, indicating that the action of preparing breakfast happens at the same time as the singing.

Why do we use the definite articles il and la in il mio amico and la colazione?

In Italian, possessive expressions require the use of definite articles. Il mio amico means “my friend,” with il emphasizing the specificity of the noun, while la colazione means “the breakfast.” This is a standard grammatical feature in Italian, even though English sometimes omits such articles.

Why is the indefinite article una used before canzone?

Una is the feminine singular indefinite article. Since canzone (song) is a feminine noun, una canzone means “a song,” signifying that the friend loves singing some song rather than a particular one.

What verb tenses are used in the sentence?

Both ama (“loves”) and prepara (“prepares”) are in the present indicative tense, third person singular. This tense indicates that the actions are happening right now. The verb cantare remains in the infinitive form as it follows and complements ama.

How does the sentence structure indicate that the actions occur simultaneously?

The conjunction mentre (“while”) connects the two actions. It shows that the singing and the breakfast preparation occur at the same time, splitting the sentence into a main clause and a subordinate clause.

Why isn’t the subject repeated in the subordinate clause prepara la colazione?

In Italian, as in English, when the subject remains the same across linked clauses, it is often omitted in the subordinate clause to avoid redundancy. The subject il mio amico is understood to perform both actions, so it isn’t repeated before prepara la colazione.