La strada principale è lunga.

to be

Breakdown of La strada principale è lunga.

• la strada: the street
• lungo: long
• principale: main

Questions & Answers about La strada principale è lunga.

What is the literal meaning of “La strada principale è lunga,” and can you break it down word by word?

The sentence translates to The main street is long. "La" means the (feminine singular), "strada" means street, "principale" means main (acting as a descriptive adjective), "è" is the third person singular of essere (to be), and "lunga" means long (in its feminine form to agree with "strada").

How do I know that strada is a feminine noun, and why do the adjectives principale and lunga agree with it?

In Italian, every noun is gendered. The noun strada is feminine, which is indicated by the article la. As a result, any adjectives modifying it—like principale and lunga—must also be in their feminine forms. In this case, principale is invariable in the singular, while lunga shows its feminine form by ending with an -a instead of -o (as in the masculine lungo).

Why is the adjective principale placed after the noun strada, and is this the typical word order in Italian?

In Italian, adjectives can either follow or precede the noun. When an adjective follows the noun—as in la strada principale—it serves as a descriptive qualifier. This is a common structure for adjectives that provide factual or descriptive information about the noun. Some adjectives may come before the noun for stylistic reasons or to convey subjective nuances, but placing them after is quite typical in descriptive contexts.