Learn Hardcore Italian: Dopo una partita di pallacanestro, il sudore scende veloce sulla fronte. - After a basketball game, sweat runs quickly down the forehead.

Dopo is a preposition meaning “after” and takes a noun phrase directly. You add che only when it’s followed by a full clause with a conjugated verb (e.g. Dopo che hai giocato…). With an infinitive you’d say dopo aver giocato. Since here it’s una partita (a noun), no che is used.

What does pallacanestro mean, and why is it written as one word?

Pallacanestro is the Italian word for “basketball.” It’s a compound of palla (ball) + canestro (basket). In Italian many ball-sports use this pattern (e.g. pallavolo, pallamano) and are written as single words.

Why is it una partita di pallacanestro instead of una partita a pallacanestro?

You use partita di + [sport] to mean “a match of [sport].” The verb giocare takes a (giocare a pallacanestro = to play basketball) but events like matches are expressed with di.

Why do we say il sudore in the singular with the definite article? Can’t we omit it?

Sudore is a mass (uncountable) noun in Italian. Mass nouns typically appear in the singular with the definite article when you refer to a specific instance (the sweat that formed after the game). Saying sudore scende… without an article would sound odd to a native speaker.

What does scende mean here? Is it just “descend”?

Scendere literally means “to go down” or “descend.” When used with liquids or fluids (like sweat, tears, rain), it conveys “to run down” or “drip down.” So il sudore scende sulla fronte means “sweat runs down the forehead.”

Why is veloce used instead of velocemente?

In Italian, many adjectives—especially short, common ones like veloce—can function adverbially without change. Veloce here modifies scendere (“runs down quickly”) and sounds more natural and colloquial than scende velocemente, though both are grammatically possible.

What does sulla fronte mean, and why is sulla used?

Sulla is the contraction of su + la, meaning on the (feminine singular). Fronte is a feminine noun, so su + la fronte becomes sulla fronte, i.e. on the forehead.

Why is the present tense (scende) used instead of the past tense?

Italian often uses the so-called “narrative present” or “vivid present” to describe immediate physical reactions or general truths. Even though the game just ended, saying scende makes the scene feel more immediate: you can almost see the sweat running down right now.

Does fronte always mean “forehead”?

No. Fronte can also mean “front” in contexts like fronte di guerra (war front) or fronte di una montagna (mountain front). Here, because of the bodily context (sweat on your face), it clearly means forehead.