Breakdown of Il corridoio illuminato è tranquillo.
essere
to be
tranquillo
quiet
il corridoio
the corridor
illuminato
lit
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Questions & Answers about Il corridoio illuminato è tranquillo.
Why is the definite article il used before corridoio?
In Italian every noun has a gender. Corridoio is a masculine singular noun, so it takes the masculine singular definite article il.
Why is illuminato placed after the noun corridoio rather than before it?
Most Italian adjectives, including past participles used adjectivally, follow the noun they modify. Placing illuminato after corridoio is the normal word order for attributive adjectives.
What is the function of illuminato here? Is it a verb form or an adjective?
Here illuminato is the past participle of illuminare used as an adjective meaning “illuminated” or “lit.” It describes the state of the corridor, not an action taking place right now.
Why does illuminato end in -o?
Italian adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they describe. Since corridoio is masculine singular, the adjective ends in -o. For a feminine plural noun you’d see -e or -a endings accordingly.
What part of speech is è and why is it used here?
È is the third-person singular present tense of the verb essere (to be). It links the subject “the illuminated corridor” to the adjective tranquillo, forming a simple description.
Why is tranquillo spelled with double l and what exactly does it mean?
Tranquillo follows standard Italian spelling rules: q must be followed by u, and the double l indicates the correct pronunciation and length of the consonant. Tranquillo means “calm,” “peaceful,” or “quiet.”
Can you give synonyms for tranquillo that might be useful?
Yes. Common synonyms include calmo (calm), pacato (serene), and silenzioso (silent—but more about lack of noise than overall calm).
How would you change the sentence if you wanted to talk about multiple corridors?
You’d pluralize both the noun and the adjectives:
I corridoi illuminati sono tranquilli.
How can you intensify tranquillo if you want to say “very calm”?
You can add an adverb such as molto (very) or abbastanza (quite). For example:
Il corridoio illuminato è molto tranquillo.