……
Questions & Answers about Il cellulare è acceso.
What does Il cellulare è acceso mean in English?
It means "The cell phone is on"—indicating that the phone is currently powered up or activated.
Why is the definite article il used before cellulare?
In Italian, cellulare is a masculine noun, so the masculine singular article il is used to agree with it.
What role does è play in this sentence?
È is the third-person singular present form of the verb essere (to be). It acts as a linking verb that connects the subject il cellulare to the adjective acceso, thereby describing the phone’s current state.
Why is the adjective written as acceso instead of accesa?
Adjectives in Italian must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Since cellulare is masculine and singular, acceso (the past participle of accendere) is also in the masculine singular form.
Does acceso come from a verb, and how does it compare to spento?
Yes, acceso is the past participle of the verb accendere (to turn on). It describes a device being active or powered up. In contrast, spento is the past participle of spegnere (to turn off), so il cellulare è spento would indicate that the phone is off.
Is Il cellulare è acceso a passive construction?
Although the structure (subject + essere + past participle) is typical of passive voice in Italian, in this case, acceso functions as an adjective describing the state of the phone rather than indicating an action performed by an agent.
More from this lesson
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“What's the best way to learn Italian grammar?”
Italian grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning ItalianMaster Italian — from Il cellulare è acceso to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions