L’orchestra suona lentamente e alcuni strumenti sono molto forti.

to be

Breakdown of L’orchestra suona lentamente e alcuni strumenti sono molto forti.

• molto: very
• e: and
• lentamente: slowly

Questions & Answers about L’orchestra suona lentamente e alcuni strumenti sono molto forti.

Why is there an apostrophe in l’orchestra?

In Italian, the definite article la (feminine singular) or lo (masculine singular) is elided before a vowel. Here la orchestra becomes l’orchestra for easier pronunciation.

Why do we use suona instead of suonano for “the orchestra plays”?

Although an orchestra is made up of many musicians, it’s treated grammatically as a single ensemble (singular). So we take the third-person singular form of suonare, which is suona.

What is lentamente, and why does it end in -mente?

Lentamente is an adverb meaning “slowly.” In Italian, many adverbs are formed by:

1. Taking the feminine singular of an adjective (here lenta from lento), then
2. Adding -mente (the equivalent of English -ly).

Can the adverb lentamente come before the verb?

Yes, for emphasis you could say Lentamente, l’orchestra suona, but the neutral word order in Italian places the adverb after the verb: l’orchestra suona lentamente.