Breakdown of Il calciatore gioca con il pallone.
giocare
to play
con
with
il pallone
the ball
il calciatore
the soccer player
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Italian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Il calciatore gioca con il pallone.
What does "Il calciatore" mean, and why is the definite article "il" used in front of "calciatore"?
"Il calciatore" translates to "the footballer" or "the soccer player." In Italian, every noun is generally accompanied by a definite article. Here, "calciatore" is a masculine singular noun, so the corresponding article is "il."
What does the verb "gioca" mean, and what can you tell me about its conjugation?
"Gioca" means "plays." It is the third person singular form of the verb "giocare" in the present indicative tense. This form is used when referring to he or she playing.
Why is the preposition "con" used before "il pallone", and how does it affect the meaning of the sentence?
In Italian, to express “playing with something,” you use the preposition "con," which means "with." The phrase "con il pallone" translates to "with the ball." This construction shows that the ball is the instrument or object involved in the action of playing.
What does "il pallone" refer to, and why is the definite article repeated here?
"Il pallone" means "the ball." Just like with "calciatore," the noun "pallone" is masculine singular, so it takes the definite article "il." The use of the article emphasizes that we are speaking about a specific or standard ball in the context, which is common in Italian even when referring to objects like sports equipment.
How do all the parts of the sentence work together in terms of Italian sentence structure?
The sentence follows a typical Italian structure similar to English but with some key differences in article usage and prepositional phrases. "Il calciatore" is the subject, "gioca" is the verb in the present tense, and "con il pallone" is a prepositional phrase that details how the action is performed. This structure underlines the importance of including proper articles and prepositions in Italian, even when these might be optional or different in English.