Breakdown of Con la bussola scopro dov’è il nord.
io
I
essere
to be
con
with
dove
where
la bussola
the compass
scoprire
to find
il nord
the north
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Italian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Con la bussola scopro dov’è il nord.
Why is there a definite article before bussola when using con?
In Italian, when you mention an instrument or tool with con, you normally keep the definite article. So you say con la bussola, con il martello, con i piedi, etc. Dropping the article (e.g. con bussola) would sound ungrammatical.
What does scopro mean here, and why is scoprire used instead of trovare?
Scoprire means “to discover” or “to find out.” In this sentence, scopro (first‑person singular present of scoprire) emphasizes the act of locating a hidden direction. You could use trovo (“I find”), but scoprire highlights the discovery aspect (“I figure out where north is”).
Why is dov’è written with an apostrophe?
Dov’è is simply a contraction of dove è. The apostrophe replaces the second e of dove, because Italian often merges two adjacent vowels in speech and writing. This contraction is standard in both direct and indirect questions.
Why does è have an accent in dov’è?
The accent on è marks it as the verb “is.” Without the accent, e means “and.” Writing dov’è ensures you read it as dove è (“where is”) rather than dove e (“where and”).
Why is il used before nord? Can you say nord without the article?
In Italian, cardinal points usually take the definite article: il nord, il sud, l’ovest, l’est. In more technical contexts (e.g. maps or titles) you might see “Nord America,” but in ordinary sentences the article is expected: il nord.
Can you move con la bussola elsewhere in the sentence?
Yes. Italian word order is flexible. You could say:
• Scopro dov’è il nord con la bussola.
• Con la bussola, scopro dov’è il nord.
The core meaning stays the same; you’re just shifting emphasis or rhythm.
Could you use another phrase instead of con la bussola, like usando la bussola?
Absolutely.
Usando la bussola, scopro dov’è il nord.
Here usando (gerund of usare) highlights the “using” action, while con + noun simply states the instrument. Both are common and correct.
I’ve heard indirect questions sometimes use the subjunctive in Italian. Why is the indicative è used here instead of sia?
After verbs that express discovery of a fact (like scoprire), Italian normally uses the indicative because you’re stating a discovered reality: dove è il nord. You’d use the subjunctive when there’s doubt or uncertainty. For example: Non so dove sia il nord (“I don’t know where north is”).