Breakdown of La vecchia finestra sarà riciclata secondo le regole del comune.
essere
to be
la finestra
the window
di
of
vecchio
old
secondo
according to
riciclato
recycled
la regola
the rule
il comune
the town
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Questions & Answers about La vecchia finestra sarà riciclata secondo le regole del comune.
Why is sarà riciclata in the passive voice, and how is the future passive formed in Italian?
The passive focuses on the action (“will be recycled”) rather than who does it. In Italian the future passive is built with the future of essere + past participle agreeing in gender and number. Here sarà (3rd-person singular future of essere) + riciclata (feminine singular participle to match finestra) gives sarà riciclata.
What is the difference between sarà riciclata and verrà riciclata?
Both express future passive.
• sarà riciclata uses the future of essere.
• verrà riciclata uses the future of venire + participle.
Nuance: venire often sounds more dynamic (“it will come to be recycled”), but in practice they’re interchangeable.
Why does riciclata end with -a instead of -o?
Past participles used in passive constructions must agree with the subject in gender and number. Finestra is feminine singular, so riciclata ends in -a. If it were finestri (feminine plural) it would be riciclate, or il vetro (masculine) would be riciclato.
Why is the adjective vecchia placed before finestra? Could I say finestra vecchia?
Many adjectives in Italian can go before or after the noun.
• Pre-noun position (La vecchia finestra) can feel more subjective or literary.
• Post-noun (La finestra vecchia) is also correct and more neutral.
Position sometimes affects emphasis or style, but both are valid.
What does secondo mean here, and are there alternatives?
Secondo means “according to” or “in accordance with.” Alternatives include in base a, conformemente a or a norma di, but secondo is the most straightforward for “following rules.”
Is comune an adjective or a noun in del comune, and what does it mean here?
Here comune is a noun meaning “municipality”. Del is the contraction of di + il, so le regole del comune = “the rules of the municipality.”
Why is it del comune and not just di comune?
Italian expresses possession or origin with di + definite article (di + il = del, di + la = della, etc.). You need the article because you’re referring to a specific entity (the municipality).
Could I say le regole comunali instead of le regole del comune?
Yes. Regole comunali means “municipal rules”, using the adjective comunali. It’s often interchangeable with le regole del comune, though regole comunali is slightly more formal/compact.