Breakdown of L'incontro è ufficialmente finito.
essere
to be
l'incontro
the meeting
ufficialmente
officially
finito
over
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Questions & Answers about L'incontro è ufficialmente finito.
Why is there an apostrophe in L'incontro?
The apostrophe marks elision: il (masculine singular definite article) loses its vowel before a word starting with a vowel. Therefore il incontro becomes l’incontro to avoid two vowels in a row.
Why is the verb finito preceded by è instead of ha?
When finire is used intransitively (meaning “to come to an end”), Italian forms the passato prossimo with essere. Hence è finito (“it has ended”). If finire is transitive (“to finish something”), it takes avere, e.g. ha finito il lavoro (“he has finished the work”).
Should finito agree in gender and number with its subject?
Yes. With essere, the past participle agrees like an adjective:
• Masculine singular: finito (L'incontro è finito)
• Feminine singular: finita (La riunione è finita)
• Masculine plural: finiti (Gli incontri sono finiti)
• Feminine plural: finite (Le riunioni sono finite)
What is the function of ufficialmente, and why not ufficiale?
Ufficialmente is an adverb (ending in -mente) modifying the verb phrase è finito (“officially ended”). An adjective like ufficiale (“official”) cannot modify a verb; adjectives describe nouns, while adverbs describe verbs, adjectives or other adverbs.
Why is ufficialmente placed between è and finito? Can it go elsewhere?
Italian adverbs commonly appear directly before the verb or verb phrase they modify, hence è ufficialmente finito. You can also put it after the past participle for emphasis: L'incontro è finito ufficialmente. Both orders are grammatically correct, though the former is more typical in formal contexts.
Can I replace finito with terminato here?
Yes. Terminare is a synonym of finire. You can say L'incontro è terminato ufficialmente with the same meaning. Terminare can sound slightly more formal, but in this context they are interchangeable.