Il tavolo è coperto di polvere.

The table is covered in dust.

Breakdown of Il tavolo è coperto di polvere.

• essere: to be
• il tavolo: the table
• di: of
• la polvere: the dust

Questions & Answers about Il tavolo è coperto di polvere.

Why is there no article before polvere?

In Italian, uncountable or mass nouns like polvere (dust) often appear without an article when they denote an indefinite quantity. Saying il tavolo è coperto di polvere means “the table is covered with dust” in general. If you wanted to refer to a specific dust (for instance, the dust you mentioned earlier), you could say il tavolo è coperto dalla polvere (“the table is covered by the dust”).

Why di polvere and not con polvere, in polvere, or su polvere?

After coperto Italian typically uses di to introduce the substance or material covering something—similar to English “covered in/with.”

• con would emphasize the means or instrument (“ho coperto la sedia con un telo”).
• su polvere would mean “on top of dust” (pointing to dust beneath).
• in polvere translates as “in powder” (a different meaning).
  So coperto di polvere is the most natural way to say “covered in dust.”

Is coperto here a verb form or an adjective?

Here coperto is the past participle of coprire, but it functions as an adjective describing the state of the table. That’s why you pair it with essere (è coperto) rather than forming a compound verb tense. It’s a stative description, not a dynamic action.