La parete è bianca.

to be

Breakdown of La parete è bianca.

• bianco: white
• la parete: the wall

Questions & Answers about La parete è bianca.

What is the role of La in the sentence "La parete è bianca"?

La is the feminine singular definite article meaning the. It signals that the noun is specific and, because parete (wall) is feminine, it uses the feminine form of the article.

What does parete mean and why is it paired with La?

Parete means wall. In Italian, nouns have a gender, and since parete is feminine, it must be accompanied by a feminine article, hence La.

What function does è serve in this sentence?

È is the third-person singular present tense of the verb essere, which means to be. It acts as a linking verb that connects the subject (La parete) with the predicate adjective (bianca).

Why does the adjective bianca end with an -a?

In Italian, adjectives agree with the noun they describe in terms of gender and number. Since parete is a feminine singular noun, bianca takes the feminine singular ending -a to properly match it.

Is the word order in "La parete è bianca" typical for Italian, and why is the adjective placed after the verb?

Yes, the structure follows the common Italian pattern of subject + verb + predicate adjective. The adjective bianca comes after the linking verb è to clearly describe the subject La parete.

How do adjectives in Italian differ from those in English, as seen in this sentence?

In English, adjectives remain unchanged regardless of the noun they modify. However, in Italian adjectives change their form to agree with the gender and number of the noun. That’s why bianca appears in a feminine singular form to match the feminine singular noun parete.