Breakdown of L'iniziativa del quartiere prevede di piantare alberi lungo la strada principale.
di
of
la strada
the street
l'albero
the tree
lungo
along
principale
main
piantare
to plant
l'iniziativa
the initiative
il quartiere
the neighborhood
prevedere
to plan
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Questions & Answers about L'iniziativa del quartiere prevede di piantare alberi lungo la strada principale.
Why is l’ used instead of la before iniziativa?
In Italian, the feminine definite article la drops its vowel and becomes l’ before any word starting with a vowel. This avoids a double vowel clash. So la iniziativa contracts to l’iniziativa.
What does del in del quartiere mean?
Del is the contraction of di + il, meaning “of the.” It shows that the initiative belongs to or comes from the neighbourhood: l’iniziativa del quartiere = “the neighbourhood’s initiative.”
Why not dello quartiere or dell’quartiere?
- dello (di + lo) is used before masculine nouns starting with z, s+consonant, ps, gn, x, y
- dell’ is di + l’ before vowels
Quartiere starts with qu (a consonant), so you use del (di + il).
What tense and meaning does prevede have?
Prevede is the 3rd person singular present indicative of prevedere. Here it means “plans for,” “foresees,” or “provides for.” In context: the initiative plans to/foresees planting trees…
Why is there a di before piantare?
Many Italian verbs require a preposition before a following infinitive. Prevedere governs di, so you must say prevede di piantare. Other verbs take di (e.g. decidere di, promettere di), while others take a (e.g. cominciare a, imparare a). You learn these patterns verb by verb.
Why are there no articles before alberi?
When talking about planting trees in general (an indefinite, non-specific number), Italian normally drops the article: piantare alberi = “to plant trees (in general).”
If you meant “some trees,” you could say piantare degli alberi, and “the trees” would be piantare gli alberi.
Why is lungo used instead of su or sulla?
- lungo means “along”, emphasizing placement parallel to the street’s length.
- su/sulla means “on”, which could imply on top of the road surface.
So lungo la strada principale best conveys “along the main street.”
Why does principale come after strada?
Most descriptive adjectives in Italian follow the noun: strada principale. Placing principale before (la principale strada) is grammatically possible but less common, often more poetic or emphatic. Standard usage is post-nominal.
Could you use an impersonal construction like si prevede di piantare?
Yes. Si prevede di piantare alberi… means “it is planned to plant trees…” That’s an impersonal passive. Here, however, the sentence names its subject (l’iniziativa del quartiere), so the active form l’iniziativa prevede di piantare… is clearer and more direct.