La mela è verde.

to be

Breakdown of La mela è verde.

• la mela: the apple
• verde: green

Questions & Answers about La mela è verde.

Why is the definite article la used in this sentence?

In Italian, la is the feminine singular definite article. Since mela (apple) is a feminine singular noun, it requires the article la to form the noun phrase la mela, which means “the apple.”

What role does the verb è play here?

È is the third person singular form of the verb essere (“to be”). It functions as a linking verb, connecting the subject la mela to the adjective verde, which describes the apple’s property.

How does the adjective verde agree with the noun mela?

Italian adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Since mela is feminine singular, verde appears in its singular form. Notably, verde is the same in both masculine and feminine singular, but in the plural it would change to verdi.

Why is the adjective verde placed after the verb instead of directly modifying mela?

When describing a state or quality using the verb essere, Italian uses a predicate adjective that follows the verb. Thus, in la mela è verde, verde follows è to indicate what the apple is like. In attributive positions (directly before or after a noun without a linking verb), adjectives can sometimes appear in a different order, but the use of è here dictates the predicate structure.

How would the sentence change if we wanted to talk about more than one apple?

To refer to multiple apples, both the noun and article must be pluralized, and the adjective must agree in number as well. The singular la mela è verde becomes le mele sono verdi: • le is the feminine plural article, • mele is the plural form of mela, • sono is the plural form of essere (is → are), and • verdi is the plural form of verde.