Breakdown of Il calore del sole è costante.
essere
to be
di
of
il sole
the sun
il calore
the heat
costante
constant
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Questions & Answers about Il calore del sole è costante.
What does the sentence "Il calore del sole è costante" literally mean?
It literally translates to "The heat of the sun is constant." Each word contributes: Il means "the"; calore means "heat"; del is a contraction of di + il, meaning "of the"; sole means "sun"; è is the third person singular of essere ("to be"), meaning "is"; and costante means "constant."
Why is del used instead of writing di il separately?
In Italian, when the preposition di is followed by the definite article il, they contract into del. This contraction is a standard grammatical rule that makes the language sound smoother and more natural.
Why does the adjective costante come after the subject rather than before it?
Italian typically places adjectives after the noun they modify. In this sentence, costante follows Il calore del sole to describe it. Although some adjectives can come before the noun for emphasis or stylistic reasons, the normal descriptive position is immediately after the noun.
Does the adjective costante need to agree with calore in gender and number? How does that work?
Yes, adjectives in Italian must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Since calore is a masculine singular noun, costante remains in the masculine singular form. Interestingly, costante is one of those adjectives that does not change form between masculine and feminine in the singular.
What is the role of è in the sentence?
The word è is the third person singular form of the verb essere ("to be"). It functions as a linking verb in the sentence, connecting the subject Il calore del sole with the predicate adjective costante to state that the heat of the sun is indeed constant.