L'equilibrio è importante per la salute.

to be

Breakdown of L'equilibrio è importante per la salute.

• per: for
• la salute: the health
• importante: important
• l'equilibrio: the balance

Questions & Answers about L'equilibrio è importante per la salute.

What does the contraction L' represent in this sentence?

L' is the contracted form of the definite article in Italian, used when a noun begins with a vowel sound. In this case, it means “the” and attaches directly to equilibrio, which translates to “balance.”

Why is there an apostrophe in L'equilibrio?

The apostrophe shows that elision has occurred. In Italian, when a definite article (like il or la) comes before a word beginning with a vowel, the final vowel of the article is dropped and replaced by an apostrophe to ease pronunciation.

What is the function of è in the sentence?

È is the third person singular present tense form of the verb essere, which means “to be.” It functions as the linking verb here, equating the subject, l'equilibrio (balance), with the predicate, importante per la salute (important for health).

How is the adjective importante being used here, and does it change with gender?

Importante is used to describe l'equilibrio and means “important.” In Italian, adjectives like importante are invariable in the singular form regardless of whether the noun is masculine or feminine. It remains the same because equilibrio is singular.

What role does the phrase per la salute play in the sentence?

The phrase per la salute is a prepositional phrase that indicates the purpose or reason. It translates to “for health,” explaining why balance is important. It functions similarly to the prepositional phrase in an English sentence.

Is the overall sentence structure similar to that of an English sentence? If so, how?

Yes, the structure is quite similar. Both the Italian sentence “L'equilibrio è importante per la salute” and its English equivalent “Balance is important for health” follow a Subject + Verb + Adjective + Prepositional Phrase format, making the sentence construction familiar to English speakers.