Breakdown of La vecchia coperta nell’asciugatrice diventa morbida e profumata.
vecchio
old
in
in
e
and
diventare
to become
morbido
soft
profumato
fragrant
la coperta
the blanket
l'asciugatrice
the dryer
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Questions & Answers about La vecchia coperta nell’asciugatrice diventa morbida e profumata.
Why is vecchia placed before coperta instead of after?
In Italian, adjectives typically follow the noun, but adjectives that express inherent qualities—like vecchio (“old”)—often precede it for idiomatic or stylistic reasons. Saying vecchia coperta feels more natural here. You could still say coperta vecchia, but it has a slightly different nuance, focusing more on the noun.
Why is there an apostrophe in nell’asciugatrice?
This is the contraction of the preposition in (“in”) and the definite article l’ (feminine singular before a vowel). You start with in + l’asciugatrice, which contracts to nell’asciugatrice.
What does diventa mean in this context, and why is it used?
diventa is the third-person singular of the verb diventare, meaning “becomes.” It indicates a change of state. While you could use the reflexive si fa (“gets”), as in si fa morbida, diventa is more neutral and standard for describing transformations.
Why are morbida and profumata in the feminine singular form?
Italian adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Since coperta is feminine and singular, both adjectives take the feminine singular endings: morbida, profumata.
What does profumata literally mean and where does it come from?
profumata is the past participle of the verb profumare (“to perfume”). Used as an adjective, it means “scented” or “fragrant.”
Could you omit the article and say in asciugatrice instead of nell’asciugatrice?
No. In Italian, when referring to a specific object like “the dryer,” you need the definite article. The correct form is nella (in + la). Dropping la (in asciugatrice) would be ungrammatical in this context.
Could you say La coperta vecchia diventa morbida... instead of La vecchia coperta diventa morbida..., and is there a difference?
Yes, La coperta vecchia is grammatically correct. When the adjective follows the noun, the tone is more neutral or descriptive. Placing it before (La vecchia coperta) can add emphasis, a poetic touch, or highlight the adjective as an inherent quality.
Why is the definite article used (la vecchia coperta) instead of the indefinite (una vecchia coperta)?
The definite article la points to a specific, known blanket (perhaps one you’ve already mentioned). If you wanted to introduce an unspecified old blanket, you would use the indefinite article una: una vecchia coperta.