Breakdown of Il gatto è accanto al divano.
il gatto
the cat
essere
to be
il divano
the sofa
accanto a
next to
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Questions & Answers about Il gatto è accanto al divano.
What does accanto mean in the sentence?
Accanto means next to in English. It indicates that one object is positioned immediately beside another.
Why is divano preceded by al instead of writing a il divano?
In Italian, the preposition a combines with the definite article il to form the contraction al. This contraction is standard for masculine singular nouns when using the preposition a.
What is the function of the verb è in this sentence?
The verb è is the third person singular present tense of essere (to be). It acts as a linking verb that connects the subject (Il gatto) with its location (accanto al divano).
Does the sentence follow a typical Italian word order, and is this structure flexible?
Yes, the sentence follows the standard Italian structure of subject + verb + locational complement. Although Italian word order can be flexible for stylistic or emphasis purposes, this straightforward order is commonly used to clearly state where something is located.
Are there alternative expressions to accanto a for indicating proximity?
Yes, an alternative is vicino a, which also means near or next to. However, accanto a implies being directly next to something, whereas vicino a can suggest a slightly looser proximity.
What does the use of the articles in Il gatto and al divano tell us about the nouns?
Both gatto and divano are masculine nouns. Il is the definite article for a masculine singular noun (used with gatto), and in al divano, the al is the result of contracting a with il for the masculine singular noun divano.