Breakdown of Ho scelto una cravatta blu per il colloquio in aeroporto.
io
I
per
for
in
at
scegliere
to choose
la cravatta
the tie
il colloquio
the interview
l’aeroporto
the airport
blu
blue
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Questions & Answers about Ho scelto una cravatta blu per il colloquio in aeroporto.
Why is Ho scelto used here, and how is it formed?
Ho scelto is the passato prossimo of scegliere. In Italian, the passato prossimo (present perfect) describes completed past actions. It’s formed with the auxiliary avere conjugated in the present tense (ho) + the past participle (scelto). Note that scegliere is irregular, so its past participle is scelto, not scegliato.
Why does the past participle scelto not agree in gender and number?
When the passato prossimo is formed with avere, the past participle generally remains unchanged—it does not agree with the subject in gender or number. Agreement happens only when essere is the auxiliary.
Why does the adjective blu stay the same after cravatta, and why doesn’t it change for gender or number?
Color adjectives ending in -u (like blu) are invariable in Italian: they don’t change form for masculine/feminine or singular/plural. Also, most descriptive adjectives (especially colors) follow the noun in standard word order: una cravatta blu.
Could I say una blu cravatta instead of una cravatta blu?
No; placing color adjectives before the noun is very unusual in everyday Italian. Adjectives of color almost always follow the noun—cravatta blu is the natural order. Putting it first would sound poetic or archaic.
What is the function of per in per il colloquio?
Here per expresses purpose or intent: you chose the tie for (in view of) the interview. If you used a or in instead, you’d convey direction or location, not purpose.
Why is it in aeroporto, not all’aeroporto or just aeroporto?
Italian typically uses in + a place name when referring to activities happening inside large locations (in aeroporto, in ufficio, in banca). All’aeroporto would focus on movement to the airport (“I went to the airport”), not on where the interview takes place.
Could I say Ho scelto una cravatta blu al colloquio in aeroporto?
Not if you mean “I picked the tie for the interview.” Al colloquio means “at the interview,” implying you chose the tie during the interview itself. Per il colloquio correctly conveys “for the interview” (in preparation for it).
What does colloquio mean, and is it the same as intervista?
Colloquio means a formal meeting or interview, commonly a job interview (colloquio di lavoro). Intervista also means interview but is typically used for media contexts (TV, radio, press).
Why is colloquio masculine and not feminine?
Most Italian nouns ending in -io are masculine (for example il diario, il braccio, il colloquio). This follows the standard noun-gender pattern in Italian.
Can I say per un colloquio in aeroporto instead of per il colloquio? What changes?
Yes. Per un colloquio (an indefinite article) means “for an interview” in general, with no specific one in mind. Per il colloquio (definite article) refers to a particular interview already known to speaker and listener.