Breakdown of Il bambino porta fuori il cane.
il cane
the dog
il bambino
the child
portare fuori
to take out
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Questions & Answers about Il bambino porta fuori il cane.
What is the literal meaning of each word in the sentence "Il bambino porta fuori il cane"?
Il means "the" (masculine singular), bambino means "child" (often implying a boy), porta is the third-person singular present form of "portare" meaning "carries" or "takes", fuori is an adverb meaning "out" or "outside", and il cane means "the dog". Altogether, the sentence translates to "The child takes the dog out".
Why is the adverb fuori placed between porta and il cane, and can its position vary?
In Italian, adverbs of place like fuori often follow the verb to indicate where the action is taking place. In this sentence, placing fuori directly after porta modifies the verb, clarifying that the action involves moving something to an outside location. It is also common to see the sentence structured as "Il bambino porta il cane fuori"; both word orders are correct, though the slight repositioning can subtly alter the emphasis without changing the overall meaning.
What is the significance of the verb form porta in this sentence?
Porta is the third-person singular present form of portare. This means the action is currently happening and that the subject, il bambino, is singular. The form demonstrates subject-verb agreement, an important feature in Italian grammar, making it clear that one child is performing the action.
Why do both bambino and cane have the same definite article il in front of them?
In Italian, every noun is typically accompanied by an article that agrees in gender and number. Both bambino (child) and cane (dog) are masculine singular nouns, so they each take the masculine singular definite article il. This tells the reader or listener that a specific child and a specific dog are being referred to in the context.
How does the structure of "Il bambino porta fuori il cane" compare to typical English word order, and what does this tell us about Italian syntax?
The basic structure of the sentence—subject, verb, adverb, object—is similar to English, where we might say "The child takes the dog out." However, Italian word order can be more flexible, particularly with the placement of adverbs. While the adverb fuori appears after the verb in this example to clearly modify the action, Italian speakers might also place it after the object (e.g., "Il bambino porta il cane fuori") without changing the meaning. This flexibility highlights that, although the subject-verb-object order is common, Italian allows variations that can change emphasis or flow.