Breakdown of Un dettaglio preciso migliora la spiegazione.
migliorare
to improve
il dettaglio
the detail
la spiegazione
the explanation
preciso
precise
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Questions & Answers about Un dettaglio preciso migliora la spiegazione.
Why is the indefinite article un used before dettaglio and not uno?
In Italian, un is the form of the indefinite article used before most masculine nouns starting with a consonant or vowel (e.g. un libro, un amico). Uno is reserved for masculine nouns beginning with:
- s
- consonant (es. uno studente)
- z (es. uno zaino)
- gn, ps, pn, x, y (es. uno psicologo, uno gnomo).
Since dettaglio starts with a simple d, we use un dettaglio.
Why is the adjective preciso placed after the noun dettaglio? Could I place it before?
The neutral, most common position for adjectives in Italian is after the noun: un dettaglio preciso. Placing preciso before the noun (un preciso dettaglio) is grammatically correct but adds emphasis or stylistic nuance—often more poetic or subjective. In everyday speech, stick with noun + adjective.
What tense and person is migliora? How would I say it in the past or future?
Migliora is the third person singular present indicative of the verb migliorare (“to improve”).
- Past (passato prossimo): ha migliorato (he/she/it has improved)
- Future (futuro semplice): migliorerà (he/she/it will improve)
Why is there a definite article la before spiegazione? Can I omit it?
In Italian, abstract or general nouns usually require a definite article. Here la spiegazione means “the explanation” in a general sense. Omitting the article (spiegazione migliora) sounds unnatural—Italian prefers la spiegazione even when speaking in general terms.
What is the subject of the sentence Un dettaglio preciso migliora la spiegazione?
The subject is un dettaglio preciso. The structure is the typical Subject-Verb-Object:
- Subject: un dettaglio preciso
- Verb: migliora
- Direct object: la spiegazione
How do you pronounce the digraph gl in dettaglio?
In Italian, gl before i represents the palatal lateral sound /ʎ/ (like the “lli” in English “million” but single). So dettaglio is pronounced roughly det-TAʎ-yo ([detˈtaʎʎo]).
Could I use specifico instead of preciso? Are they interchangeable?
They’re close but not identical:
- Preciso stresses accuracy and exactness.
- Specifico stresses being particular or distinct from others.
Depending on nuance, both can work, but choose preciso when you mean “exact/detailly accurate,” and specifico when you mean “pertaining to a specific aspect.”
Why does preciso end in –o and spiegazione end in –e? How do endings work?
Italian adjectives and nouns agree in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural):
- Dettaglio is masculine singular → adjective takes -o: preciso.
- Spiegazione is feminine singular → noun ends in -e, but you know gender by memorization or dictionary.
Plural forms would be dettagli precisi (masculine plural) and spiegazioni (feminine plural).