Breakdown of L’intervistatore ha lodato la pazienza del gruppo durante la lunga ricerca del suono perfetto.
di
of
lungo
long
durante
during
il suono
the sound
perfetto
perfect
il gruppo
the group
la pazienza
the patience
l'intervistatore
the interviewer
lodare
to praise
la ricerca
the search
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Questions & Answers about L’intervistatore ha lodato la pazienza del gruppo durante la lunga ricerca del suono perfetto.
Why is the definite article in l’intervistatore written as l’ instead of il?
In Italian the masculine singular article is il, but before a word beginning with a vowel you drop the vowel and add an apostrophe. Thus il intervistatore becomes l’intervistatore.
What tense is ha lodato and why is avere used here?
ha lodato is the passato prossimo, formed with the present of avere (ha) + past participle (lodato). We use avere because lodare is a transitive verb (it takes a direct object).
How do you form the past participle lodato?
lodato is the regular past participle of lodare, an -are verb. The rule is:
- Drop -are from the infinitive
- Add -ato
So lodare → lod-- -ato = lodato.
Why do we say la pazienza del gruppo and use del?
del is the contraction of di + il, used to show possession or association. la pazienza del gruppo means “the patience of the group.”
What does durante mean and can I use mentre or per instead?
- durante is a preposition meaning during + noun.
- mentre is a conjunction meaning while, used before verbs or clauses (e.g. mentre parlava = “while he was speaking”).
- per can express duration with time expressions (e.g. per due ore = “for two hours”), but it doesn’t link directly to a noun phrase like il concerto.
So here durante la lunga ricerca is the correct way to say “during the long search.”
Why is lunga placed before ricerca? Is word order flexible?
Adjectives in Italian can go before or after the noun to change emphasis:
- lunga ricerca (adjective before) highlights the length of the search.
- ricerca lunga (after) is also correct but sounds more neutral.
Putting lunga first stresses that the search really was long.
Why does perfetto come after suono rather than before?
Most descriptive adjectives (like perfetto) follow the noun in Italian: suono perfetto = “perfect sound.” Placing them after the noun is the default for clarity and flow.
Is there any difference between lodare and elogiare? Could we say ha elogiato instead?
Both mean “to praise,” but:
- lodare is a bit more formal and less common in everyday speech.
- elogiare is also formal and often used in writing or speeches.
You can say ha elogiato la pazienza del gruppo, but you might choose one over the other depending on tone.