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Questions & Answers about Il medico salva il bambino.
Why are the definite articles il used before medico and bambino in Il medico salva il bambino?
In Italian, singular countable nouns typically require a definite article, even when referring to a profession or a person in general. English often drops “the” (“Doctor saves child”), but Italian does not. Hence:
- il medico = “the doctor”
- il bambino = “the child”
Why is there no subject pronoun like lui (he) before salva?
Italian is a “pro-drop” (null-subject) language: the verb ending -a in salva already signals 3rd-person singular. You can add lui or lei for emphasis (Lui salva il bambino), but it’s not required in everyday speech.
How do you conjugate the verb salvare (to save) in the present tense?
Salvare is a regular -are verb. Present-tense forms are:
- io salvo
- tu salvi
- lui/lei salva
- noi salviamo
- voi salvate
- loro salvano
In Il medico salva…, salva is the lui/lei form.
How can you replace il bambino with a pronoun?
Use the masculine singular direct-object pronoun lo. You place it before the verb:
- Il medico lo salva.
This means “The doctor saves him/the child.”
What’s the difference between medico and dottore when talking about a doctor?
- medico refers specifically to a medical professional (physician).
- dottore is a more general title used for anyone with a university degree, or as a polite form of address.
In a hospital context you’ll usually say il medico, while patients often address their physician as dottore.
How do you say “A doctor saves a child” instead of “The doctor…”?
Use the indefinite article un (masculine singular before consonants):
- Un medico salva un bambino.
This literally means “A doctor saves a child.”
How would you turn Il medico salva il bambino into the passive voice?
You have two common options:
- Simple passive with essere:
Il bambino è salvato dal medico. - Periphrastic passive with venire:
Il bambino viene salvato dal medico.
In both cases dal is da- il (“by the”).
How do you make the whole sentence plural?
Change articles, nouns and the verb to plural:
- I medici salvano i bambini.
Here il → i, medico → medici, salva → salvano, bambino → bambini.