Breakdown of L'interno dell'auto è pulito.
essere
to be
di
of
pulito
clean
l'auto
the car
l'interno
the interior
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Questions & Answers about L'interno dell'auto è pulito.
What does L'interno mean, and why is it written with an apostrophe?
L'interno translates to “the inside”. The apostrophe indicates an elision: the full form il interno drops the vowel in il because the noun interno begins with a vowel. This contraction makes the pronunciation smoother.
What is the structure and meaning of dell'auto?
Dell'auto is a contraction where di (meaning “of”) is combined with the elided definite article l' (used because auto—short for automobile—begins with a vowel). So, dell'auto literally means “of the car”.
How does the adjective pulito agree with its noun in this sentence?
The adjective pulito agrees with interno in gender and number. Since interno is a masculine singular noun, its descriptive adjective must also be masculine singular. In Italian, adjectives always match the noun they describe in both gender and number.
What is the overall sentence structure of L'interno dell'auto è pulito?
The sentence follows a typical Italian structure: the subject L'interno dell'auto (with L'interno as the main noun and dell'auto as a prepositional phrase modifying it) appears first, followed by the linking verb è (meaning “is”), and then the predicate adjective pulito (meaning “clean”) which describes the subject.
Why are contractions like L' in L'interno and dell' in dell'auto commonly used in Italian?
Contractions in Italian occur to ensure fluidity and ease of pronunciation. When a noun starts with a vowel, the preceding definite article (like il or la) loses its final vowel and is replaced by l'. Similarly, the preposition di merges with the elided article (as in di l'auto becoming dell'auto), making the phrase smoother and more natural to say.
Can the adjective pulito ever be placed before the noun, or is its position fixed in this sentence?
While Italian adjectives can sometimes be placed before or after the noun—with placement often subtly changing the emphasis—pulito here is part of the predicate following the linking verb è, clearly describing the state of the subject. In predicate structures like this, the adjective normally follows the verb, making its placement standard and fixed in this context.