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Questions & Answers about Il lago è profondo.
What is the role of Il in "Il lago è profondo."?
Il is the masculine singular definite article, meaning "the." It signals that lago (lake) is a specific noun and agrees in gender and number with it.
How does the verb è function in this sentence?
È is the third person singular form of the irregular verb essere (to be). It acts as a linking verb, connecting the subject lago to the predicate adjective profondo.
Why is the adjective profondo placed after the verb rather than directly modifying lago?
In Italian, when an adjective follows a linking verb like è, it works as a predicate adjective that describes the subject, similar to the English construction "The lake is deep." Placing the adjective after the verb emphasizes that the quality (depth) is a state of the noun rather than an inherent part of its noun phrase.
How do adjectives like profondo agree with nouns in Italian?
In Italian, adjectives must match the noun they describe in both gender and number. Since lago is masculine singular, the adjective profondo is also in the masculine singular form.
Could the sentence be restructured without changing its core meaning?
Yes, you could say "Il profondo lago" (meaning "the deep lake"). However, this changes the focus slightly—from a descriptive predicate following a copula (state of being) to an attributive adjective directly modifying the noun. Both are correct, but they emphasize the description differently.