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Questions & Answers about Il libro è letto da tutti.
Why is the auxiliary verb essere used to form the passive voice in this sentence?
In Italian, the passive voice is constructed using the appropriate form of essere (to be) followed by the past participle of the main verb. In this case, è is the present tense form that, together with letto (the past participle of leggere), creates the passive structure. This indicates that the subject (il libro) is affected by the action rather than performing it.
How does the past participle letto agree with the subject il libro?
Italian grammar requires that the past participle in the passive voice agrees in gender and number with the subject. Since il libro is masculine singular, the past participle letto is correctly used in its masculine singular form. If the subject were feminine or plural, the participle would change accordingly (e.g., letta for a feminine singular noun).
What is the function of the preposition da in this sentence?
The preposition da is used in passive constructions to introduce the agent—the one performing the action. In Il libro è letto da tutti, the phrase da tutti means "by everyone," identifying who is carrying out the action of reading. Without da, the sentence wouldn’t specify the agent responsible for the action.
How would you express this sentence in the active voice in Italian?
The active voice equivalent of Il libro è letto da tutti is Tutti leggono il libro. In the active form, the focus shifts to the subject tutti (everyone) who performs the action, clearly stating that everyone reads the book.
Does the present tense è letto indicate a current action or a general statement?
In Italian, the present tense can be used both for actions happening right now and for general truths or habitual actions. In this particular sentence, Il libro è letto da tutti serves as a general statement—implying that the book is habitually or generally read by everyone, rather than indicating that the reading is occurring at this specific moment.