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Breakdown of Il veterinario controlla la salute dell'animale.
di
of
la salute
the health
controllare
to check
l'animale
the animal
il veterinario
the veterinarian
Questions & Answers about Il veterinario controlla la salute dell'animale.
What does controlla mean in this sentence?
controlla is the third-person singular present indicative of controllare, meaning he/she/it checks, monitors, or inspects. Here it translates as “checks” (the veterinarian checks).
Why is the definite article Il used before veterinario?
Italian normally uses a definite article before a profession when speaking about a specific person. Il is the masculine singular article used before consonants, so Il veterinario means the veterinarian.
Why is there a la before salute?
In Italian, most abstract nouns like salute (health) require a definite article. You cannot omit it as you would in English. Hence la salute equals “the health.”
How does dell’animale work?
It’s the contraction of di + l’animale. Di indicates possession (“of”), and l’ is the elided form of the definite article before a vowel. So di + l’animale becomes dell’animale, meaning “of the animal.”
Why is there no apostrophe in del cane but there is one in dell’animale?
Del is di + il, used before a masculine singular noun starting with a consonant (e.g., cane). No apostrophe is needed. Dell’ is di + l’, used before a noun that begins with a vowel (e.g., animale), and it must drop the vowel and add an apostrophe.
What gender is salute, and how can I tell?
Salute is a feminine singular noun. In Italian, nouns ending in -e can be masculine or feminine, so you must learn gender case by case. Here you pair salute with la.
If the veterinarian were a woman, how would the sentence change?
You would use the feminine form veterinaria and the matching article La:
La veterinaria controlla la salute dell’animale.
Can I use a different verb instead of controlla?
Yes. For example, esamina (examines) or verifica (verifies) are possible:
Il veterinario esamina la salute dell’animale.
Each carries a slightly different nuance (more formal or medical).
What is the standard word order, and can it change for emphasis?
The neutral order is Subject – Verb – Object – Prepositional Phrase:
Il veterinario (S) controlla (V) la salute (O) dell’animale (PP).
You can rearrange elements for emphasis, but that may sound marked or poetic.
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