Breakdown of Il fiume è visibile dal giardino.
essere
to be
da
from
il giardino
the garden
il fiume
the river
visibile
visible
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Questions & Answers about Il fiume è visibile dal giardino.
How is the prepositional phrase dal giardino formed, and what does it convey?
Dal is a contraction of the preposition da (meaning from) and the masculine singular definite article il (meaning the). Thus, dal giardino translates to from the garden. Such contractions are common in Italian when a preposition is followed by a definite article.
Is visibile functioning as a passive construction or merely as an adjective in this sentence?
Visibile is strictly an adjective here. It describes the state of the river by stating that it is visible. Although Italian can build passive structures using essere with a past participle, in this case the adjective simply indicates a quality rather than an action being performed.
Why is the definite article il used before fiume?
In Italian, almost every common noun requires a definite article when referring to a specific or general object. Il fiume means the river, indicating a particular entity known from context, and the article is an integral part of the noun phrase.
Does the adjective visibile change with gender or number, and why does it remain unchanged here?
Many Italian adjectives, including visibile, have the same form in the masculine and feminine singular. They only change in the plural (becoming visibili in this case). Since fiume is masculine singular, visibile stays the same.
What is the sentence structure of Il fiume è visibile dal giardino, and how does it compare to typical Italian word order?
The sentence follows a common Italian pattern: a subject (Il fiume), followed by the verb (è), then an adjective (visibile), and finally a prepositional phrase (dal giardino) that indicates the point of observation. This order is straightforward and aligns well with basic Italian sentence construction.
Could the sentence be written as Il fiume è visibile da il giardino instead of using the contraction, and is that acceptable?
No, it is not acceptable. Italian grammar requires that the preposition da and the article il contract to form dal. Writing da il giardino would be an error.