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Sento dolore alla schiena quando corro in giardino.

Sento dolore alla schiena quando corro in giardino.
I feel pain in my back when I run in the garden.
FromLesson 28inHardcore Italian

Questions & Answers about Sento dolore alla schiena quando corro in giardino.

Why is alla used instead of a la before schiena?
In Italian the preposition a contracts with the feminine singular article la to become alla. You never say a la schiena—it must be a + la = alla.
Why doesn’t the sentence say alla mia schiena (or alla tua schiena)? Why is there no possessive?
With body parts Italian normally uses the definite article and omits the possessive when it’s clear whose body part it is. Think of la schiena as “the back” of the speaker. Adding mia is redundant in most contexts.
Could you say ho dolore alla schiena instead of sento dolore alla schiena? What’s the difference?
Both are understandable, but sento dolore (“I feel pain”) is more natural when talking about a sensation. Ho dolore (“I have pain”) is grammatically correct but less idiomatic by itself. More common alternatives are ho mal di schiena or mi fa male la schiena.
What’s the difference between dolore and mal di schiena?
  • Dolore is the general noun “pain.”
  • Mal di schiena is the fixed expression “backache” or “back pain.”
    You could rephrase the sentence as Ho mal di schiena quando corro in giardino, which sounds more colloquial.
Why do we say in giardino and not nel giardino or in il giardino?
  • In giardino (no article) is used for a general location—“in the garden” as a concept.
  • Nel giardino (in + il) would be correct if you want to emphasize a specific garden you’ve already mentioned.
    Italian often drops the article with certain places (casa, chiesa, giardino) in this general sense.
Can I move quando corro in giardino to the beginning? For example: Quando corro in giardino, sento dolore alla schiena.
Yes. Italian word order is flexible. Starting with Quando corro in giardino simply emphasizes the timing and is perfectly natural.
Why is the simple present corro used instead of a present‐continuous like sto correndo?
Italian typically uses the simple present for both habitual actions and ongoing situations. You use sto correndo only when you want to highlight that you are running right at this very moment. In general statements like this one, corro is standard.
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