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Questions & Answers about L'imbarco inizia alle sette.
What does imbarco mean?
Imbarco is a noun derived from the verb imbarcare, and it means “boarding” – the process of getting onto a plane, ship, etc.
Why does il become l’ before imbarco?
When the masculine singular article il precedes a word starting with a vowel, Italian elides the vowel and adds an apostrophe:
il + imbarco → l’ + imbarco = l’imbarco.
Why is it alle sette instead of a sette?
In Italian you tell time with the preposition a (“at”) plus the definite article for plural ore (“hours”). Since ore is feminine plural, you use le. Hence a + le = alle, and you drop ore in speech: alle sette = “at seven o’clock.”
How exactly does a + le = alle work?
You start with a (preposition) and le (feminine plural article for ore). They merge into the contraction alle.
Why is the verb inizia in the third-person singular?
The subject is l’imbarco, which is singular. Therefore you use the third-person singular form of iniziare: (l’imbarco) inizia.
Can I write alle 7 instead of alle sette?
Yes. In writing it’s common to use numerals: L’imbarco inizia alle 7. You can also write alle 7:00.
How would I include minutes, for example “seven fifteen”?
You can mix numerals or words:
– Numerals: L’imbarco inizia alle 7:15.
– Words: L’imbarco inizia alle sette e un quarto.