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Questions & Answers about Marco dorme sul prato.
What tense and person is dorme, and how is it conjugated?
dorme is the third-person singular present indicative of dormire (to sleep). The full present indicative conjugation is:
- Io dormo
- Tu dormi
- Lui/Lei dorme
- Noi dormiamo
- Voi dormite
- Loro dormono
This form indicates that Marco sleeps (either habitually or right now).
Could I say Marco sta dormendo sul prato to express the same idea?
Yes. Marco sta dormendo sul prato uses the present continuous (stare + gerund dormendo) to emphasize that the action is in progress at this very moment. In Italian, however, the simple present (dorme) is also perfectly natural for ongoing actions.
What is sul, and why is it used here?
sul is a contraction of the preposition su (on) + the definite article il (the). So sul prato literally means “on the meadow.” Italian commonly combines certain prepositions with definite articles:
- su + il → sul
- su + lo → sullo
- su + la → sulla
- …and so on.
Why can't we say in prato instead of su prato?
in generally means “inside” or “within” an area, whereas su means “on top of” a surface. Since Marco is lying on the grass surface, you use su. Saying in prato would sound like he is inside a meadow enclosure, which isn’t idiomatic.
Why can’t we drop the article and say su prato?
In most cases, Italian locative prepositions (like su) require the definite article when followed by a noun. Hence you say su + il prato → sul prato. Only a few fixed expressions (e.g., su Internet) allow dropping the article.
Which other Italian prepositions contract with the definite article?
Five Italian prepositions combine with the definite article to form:
- di → del, dello, della, dei, degli, delle
- a → al, allo, alla, ai, agli, alle
- da → dal, dallo, dalla, dai, dagli, dalle
- in → nel, nello, nella, nei, negli, nelle
- su → sul, sullo, sulla, sui, sugli, sulle
What is the gender and number of prato, and how would the phrase change for feminine or plural nouns?
prato is masculine singular, so we use il prato → sul prato. For other cases:
- Feminine singular (e.g., casa) → sulla casa
- Masculine plural (e.g., prati) → sui prati
- Feminine plural (e.g., strade) → sulle strade
Can we drop Marco and simply say Dorme sul prato?
Yes. Italian is a pro-drop language: the subject is often omitted because verb endings indicate the person. Dorme sul prato means “He sleeps on the meadow.” You include Marco for clarity or emphasis.
Do Italians ever use a definite article before people’s names (e.g., il Marco)?
Standard Italian does not use articles before proper names. However, in some regional dialects (especially in Northern Italy), you might hear il Marco or la Maria in informal speech.
Could I use an indefinite article and say Marco dorme su un prato instead of sul prato, and how does the meaning change?
Yes. su un prato means “on a meadow” (indefinite), while sul prato means “on the meadow” (definite). Use su un prato if you mean any meadow rather than one specific meadow.