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Questions & Answers about Il maltempo rovina la festa.
What does maltempo mean in this sentence?
Maltempo translates to bad weather in English. It's a compound of mal (bad) and tempo (weather or time), but in this context, it specifically refers to unfavorable or inclement weather.
What tense and form is the verb rovina, and what does it express?
Rovina is the third person singular form of the verb rovinare in the simple present tense. It means to ruin, indicating that the bad weather (the subject) is actively spoiling the party (the object).
Why are the definite articles il and la used before maltempo and festa, and how does this compare to English?
In Italian, nouns are typically accompanied by definite articles to denote specific or known entities. Il maltempo translates to the bad weather and la festa means the party. While English sometimes drops the article when referring to abstract concepts (like weather), Italian grammar requires the article even when the meaning is obvious.
How does the word order in Il maltempo rovina la festa compare with typical English sentence structure?
The Italian sentence follows a Subject-Verb-Object order, which is very similar to English. Here, il maltempo is the subject, rovina is the verb, and la festa is the object—very much like the English sentence "The bad weather ruins the party."
Could this sentence be rephrased to sound more formal or impersonal in Italian, and if so, how?
Yes, although Il maltempo rovina la festa is clear and straightforward, a more formal or impersonal construction might be something like "A causa del maltempo, è rovinata la festa." This version uses a different structure to emphasize the effect of the weather on the party, adding a slight nuance in tone while conveying the same overall meaning.