Sulla porta c’è un graffio profondo.

to be

Breakdown of Sulla porta c’è un graffio profondo.

• su: on
• la porta: the door
• profondo: deep

Questions & Answers about Sulla porta c’è un graffio profondo.

Why is sulla used instead of su la?

In Italian, the preposition su (on) must contract with the definite article la (the) when they appear together. So su + la porta becomes sulla porta. This contraction is mandatory before feminine singular nouns.

What is c’è a contraction of?

c’è is the contraction of ci (there) and è (is). The apostrophe replaces the dropped i in ci, giving the sense of there is.

What function does ci have in c’è?

Here ci is an expletive pronoun meaning there in existential contexts. It doesn’t refer to a specific object but introduces the existence of something.

Why is the adjective profondo placed after the noun graffio?

Most adjectives in Italian follow the noun they modify. So graffio profondo is the neutral, standard word order. Placing profondo before graffio (e.g. un profondo graffio) is grammatically correct but feels more emphatic or literary.

Why is the adjective not ?