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Questions & Answers about Paziente aspetta il medico.
What is the English translation of Paziente aspetta il medico?
It translates to Patient waits for the doctor. Note that in a full narrative sentence you might expect to see an article before “paziente” (i.e., Il paziente aspetta il medico), but in this construction the subject is presented without it, which is common in headlines or simplified statements.
What does the verb aspetta mean, and how is it conjugated in this sentence?
Aspetta is the third-person singular present tense form of the verb aspettare, which means to wait. In this sentence, it agrees with the singular subject paziente.
Why is there an article before medico but not before paziente?
Italian articles are sometimes omitted for stylistic reasons. In full, standard sentences you would normally say Il paziente aspetta il medico (“The patient waits for the doctor”), but in contexts like headlines or brief messages, the article before the subject can be dropped for brevity. The article il is still used with medico to indicate definiteness and the noun’s gender.
Does the verb aspettare require a preposition before its object as in the English phrase “wait for”?
No, it does not. In Italian, aspettare is a transitive verb that directly takes its object. Unlike English, where you need the preposition “for” (i.e., wait for the doctor), Italian simply uses aspettare il medico.
Can paziente be used for both masculine and feminine subjects, and if so, how is gender indicated?
Yes, paziente is an invariable noun/adjective that can refer to either a male or the female patient. The gender is indicated by the accompanying article—il paziente for a male and la paziente for a female.
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