Il quartiere è vicino al fiume.

The neighborhood is near the river.

Breakdown of Il quartiere è vicino al fiume.

• essere: to be
• vicino: near
• il fiume: the river
• al: to
• il quartiere: the neighborhood

Questions & Answers about Il quartiere è vicino al fiume.

Why is il used before quartiere instead of no article at all?

In Italian, singular, countable nouns generally require a definite article when referring to something specific or previously mentioned. Here il marks “the neighborhood” as a known entity. Omitting the article (just saying Quartiere è vicino…) would sound unnatural.

When would you use un quartiere instead of il quartiere?

You use un quartiere when introducing “a neighborhood” in a general or non‐specific sense. For example:
• Un quartiere importante è vicino al centro. (A neighborhood of importance is near the center.)
Once you’ve specified or know which one you mean, you switch to il quartiere.

Why is the verb è (from essere) used here? Could we use stare or trovarsi instead?

Essere is the default “to be” verb for stating characteristics or location with an adjective. You could, however, use:
• Il quartiere si trova vicino al fiume. (The neighborhood is located near the river.)
• Il quartiere sta vicino al fiume. (less common, more colloquial)
But è vicino is the simplest, most idiomatic way.

Why do we say vicino al fiume and not vicino il fiume?

Vicino is an adjective that requires the preposition a when expressing proximity. You always say vicino a + the place. Since fiume is a masculine noun with the definite article il, a + il contracts to al, giving vicino al fiume.

Why is it al fiume and never alla fiume?

Fiume is masculine (il fiume). When you combine a + il, you get al. You’d only get alla from a + la, which is used before feminine nouns (e.g., vicino alla casa).

Does vicino change form to match gender and number?

Yes, when used as a true adjective in a predicative position, it agrees with the subject:
• Masculine singular: Il quartiere è vicino
• Feminine singular: La scuola è vicina
• Masculine plural: I quartieri sono vicini
• Feminine plural: Le scuole sono vicine

Can you omit è and just say Il quartiere vicino al fiume?

You can, but that construction is a noun phrase with a reduced relative clause:
• Il quartiere vicino al fiume (The neighborhood [that is] near the river)
It works as part of a larger sentence: Il quartiere vicino al fiume è molto tranquillo. But to form a complete sentence stating location, you need the verb: Il quartiere è vicino al fiume.

How is quartiere pronounced?

It’s pronounced /kwarˈtjɛ­re/:
• q = /k/ + /w/ sound (like “cu” in “question”)
• -ti- = /t͡j/ (similar to the “ti” in English “studio”)
• Stress on the second syllable: quar-TI-ere.