Breakdown of Il sbadiglio del bambino è grande.
essere
to be
grande
big
di
of
il bambino
the child
il sbadiglio
the yawn
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Questions & Answers about Il sbadiglio del bambino è grande.
Why is the article il used with sbadiglio even though the noun starts with an s + consonant cluster, which often calls for lo?
Although the general rule in Italian is that masculine singular nouns beginning with an impure s (an s followed by another consonant) usually take the article lo (with the plural gli), there are established exceptions. The word sbadiglio is one of those exceptions where traditional usage fixes the form as il sbadiglio. This is a quirk of the language that learners should simply memorize.
How is the phrase del bambino formed, and what does it signify in this sentence?
The phrase del bambino is a contraction of di + il bambino. It functions as a possessive expression, meaning that the yawn belongs to the child—essentially translating to "of the child" or "the child's" in English. This construction is a common way in Italian to indicate possession without using a separate possessive adjective.
How does adjective agreement work with grande in this sentence?
In Italian, adjectives must agree in both gender and number with the nouns they modify. Since sbadiglio is masculine and singular, grande appears in its masculine singular form. Notably, grande is invariant in the singular for both masculine and feminine nouns; only its plural form changes (to grandi).
Why is grande placed after the noun sbadiglio, and does its position affect the meaning?
In Italian, adjectives can often be placed either before or after the noun, and the position can influence the nuance of the description. In this sentence, placing grande after sbadiglio offers a straightforward, descriptive quality about the size of the yawn. Although it is grammatically acceptable to say il grande sbadiglio, doing so might add extra emphasis or alter the nuance—so context and stylistic choice play a role.
Can the sentence be rephrased using a possessive adjective instead of del bambino?
Yes, the sentence can be rephrased using a possessive adjective. For example, Il suo sbadiglio è grande translates to "His/Her yawn is big." Both forms are common; however, using del bambino explicitly specifies that it is the child's yawn, while suo relies on context to clarify whose yawn is being described.
How would this sentence change if you wanted to express it in the plural?
To express the sentence in the plural, you would say: Gli sbadigli dei bambini sono grandi. Here, Gli sbadigli is the plural form of il sbadiglio, dei bambini is the plural possessive (a contraction of di + i bambini), and grandi is the plural adjective agreeing with sbadigli.