Breakdown of Quando il ventilatore è acceso, la sciarpa svolazza in tutta la stanza.
essere
to be
acceso
on
in
in
quando
when
la stanza
the room
tutto
all
la sciarpa
the scarf
il ventilatore
the fan
svolazzare
to flutter
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Questions & Answers about Quando il ventilatore è acceso, la sciarpa svolazza in tutta la stanza.
What does the verb svolazza mean, and how is it used in this sentence?
svolazza is the 3rd-person singular present of svolazzare, meaning “to flutter” or “to flit about lightly.” It’s intransitive (no direct object), so here it describes the scarf’s light, repeated movement. In English you’d say “the scarf flutters (around) the room.”
Why is acceso used here, and what role does it play?
acceso is the past participle of accendere (“to switch on”), used as an adjective meaning “on.” In il ventilatore è acceso, it means “the fan is on.” Contrast with il ventilatore accende, which would mean “the fan turns something on” – so acceso focuses on the state of being switched on rather than the action of switching.
Why does è have an accent, and what’s the difference between è and e?
è (with a grave accent) is the 3rd-person singular of essere (“to be”) → “is.” e (without accent) is the conjunction “and.” The accent distinguishes them both in writing and pronunciation.
Why use quando + indicative here, instead of the subjunctive?
After quando meaning “when” in real or habitual contexts, Italian uses the indicative. You’d switch to the subjunctive only if you talk about a future, uncertain event:
- Indicative (fact): Quando il ventilatore è acceso, la sciarpa svolazza.
- Subjunctive (uncertain/future): Quando tu arrivassi, ne parleremmo.
Why say in tutta la stanza rather than per tutta la stanza, or omit the article?
• in tutta la stanza = “throughout the room,” emphasizes location inside the entire space.
• per tutta la stanza is also possible (“all over the room”), but highlights movement from one side to the other.
• You must include the definite article la: in tutta stanza would be ungrammatical.
Why are there definite articles before ventilatore and sciarpa? English often drops them.
Italian uses definite articles before nouns more frequently than English, even with generic or familiar objects. Here il ventilatore refers to “the fan” (that one) and la sciarpa to “the scarf.” Omitting them (ventilatore, sciarpa) would sound odd in Italian.
What about the tense: why not a continuous form like “sta svolazzando”?
Italian doesn’t have a distinct continuous tense; the simple present covers both habitual and ongoing actions. svolazza can mean “it flutters” in general or right now. You could say sta svolazzando to stress “it is fluttering at this very moment,” but it’s not required.
Could you say Quando è acceso il ventilatore, la sciarpa…? Would that sound odd?
Technically you can invert it, but it’s less common. Placing the subject il ventilatore right after quando makes the sentence immediately clear. Starting with Quando è acceso… might momentarily confuse the listener about what’s being described. Hence Quando il ventilatore è acceso is more natural.