Vedo la giraffa allo zoologico.

I see the giraffe at the zoo.

Breakdown of Vedo la giraffa allo zoologico.

• io: I
• vedere: to see
• la giraffa: the giraffe

Questions & Answers about Vedo la giraffa allo zoologico.

Why is la used before giraffa, and can I say vedo giraffa without the article?

In Italian you normally include a definite article before a specific noun. la giraffa means the giraffe (the one you're looking at). Dropping the article (vedo giraffa) is incorrect here because vedere is a transitive verb and requires its direct object to be marked by an article (or another determiner).

What is the function of vedo, and how does it differ from guardo?

vedo is the 1st‑person singular form of vedere, meaning “I see,” focusing on the involuntary act of perceiving something.
guardo comes from guardare, meaning “I look (at),” which implies a deliberate action or gaze.
In your sentence vedo la giraffa, you’re saying “I see the giraffe,” not necessarily that you’re actively studying it.

What does allo mean in allo zoologico, and why don’t we just say al zoologico?

allo is a contraction of a + lo.
– a = the preposition to/at
– lo = the masculine singular definite article used before words starting with z, s+consonant, gn, ps, etc.
Hence a + lo = allo.
al is a + il, used for masculine nouns beginning with a simple consonant (not one of the special cases).

Why is zoologico used instead of zoo, and do I still use allo with zoo?

zoologico is the traditional Italian word for zoo; zoo is a newer, borrowed form. Both are masculine singular. Because zoo also begins with z, you still say allo zoo (a + lo = allo) to mean “at the zoo.”

Why do we use a before zoologico? In English we’d say at the zoo, but could I use in instead?

Italian often uses a with verbs of perception or motion to indicate being at or going to a place: vado allo zoo, sono allo zoo, vedo la giraffa allo zoologico.
Using in (e.g. in zoologico) would emphasize being inside the enclosure, but it’s less common in everyday speech of motion or perception.

Why isn’t the subject pronoun io included before vedo?

Italian verb endings carry person information. vedo ends in -o, signaling first‑person singular, so io vedo would be redundant. Pronouns are used only for emphasis or contrast.

How can I tell that giraffa is feminine, and are there exceptions to the –a = feminine rule?

Most Italian nouns ending in -a are feminine (hence la giraffa). However, there are exceptions (e.g. il problema, il poeta). It’s safest to learn each noun with its article (il, la, un, una, etc.).

What happens if I want to say I see a giraffe instead of the giraffe?

You’d replace the definite article la with the indefinite una:
Vedo una giraffa allo zoologico.
This implies you see a giraffe (one of possibly several) rather than a specific one you’ve already identified.