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Questions & Answers about Il ripiano superiore è vuoto.
What part of speech is ripiano and what does it mean?
Ripiano is a masculine noun meaning shelf or tray—a flat surface inside furniture or equipment where you can place objects.
Why is the article il used before ripiano, and when would I use lo instead?
Il is the masculine singular definite article used before words starting with most consonants. You use lo (instead of il) before masculine singular nouns beginning with s + consonant (like scolapasta), z, ps, gn, x, or pn. Since ripiano starts with a simple r, you choose il.
Why does superiore come after ripiano, and does its position affect the meaning?
In Italian, most descriptive adjectives—especially those indicating position or rank—follow the noun. Ripiano superiore literally means upper shelf. Placing superiore before (superiore ripiano) is grammatically possible but uncommon and can sound poetic or awkward; it doesn’t add any special nuance in everyday speech.
What’s the difference between è (with an accent) and e (without an accent)?
È (with a grave accent) is the third-person singular of essere (“to be”), meaning is. E (without an accent) is the conjunction and. The accent on è prevents confusion with the word e.
Why is vuoto used here, and does it change according to gender or number?
Vuoto is a masculine singular adjective meaning empty. It agrees in gender and number with ripiano (masculine singular). For a feminine noun you’d say vuota; for masculine plural vuoti; for feminine plural vuote.
Could I say il ripiano è vuoto superiore instead? Why or why not?
No. The normal word order for two adjectives in Italian is noun + adjective + adjective (and usually the more inherent characteristic comes last). Saying vuoto superiore or ripiano vuoto superiore would sound confusing or awkward. Stick with il ripiano superiore è vuoto.
How would I express the same idea if there were several top shelves?
You’d pluralize both noun and adjectives and change the verb:
I ripiani superiori sono vuoti.
Here i is the masculine plural article, ripiani superiori means upper shelves, and sono is they are.
How do you pronounce ripiano, superiore, and vuoto?
• ripiano: /riˈpjaːno/ (“ree-PYAH-no”)
• superiore: /su.peˈri.o.re/ (“soo-peh-REE-oh-reh”)
• vuoto: /ˈvwɔ.to/ (“VWOH-toh”)