Il corridoio interno è silenzioso.

The inner corridor is quiet.

Breakdown of Il corridoio interno è silenzioso.

• essere: to be
• silenzioso: quiet
• il corridoio: the corridor
• interno: inner

Questions & Answers about Il corridoio interno è silenzioso.

Why is the definite article il used before corridoio? Could I use lo or omit the article?

In Italian, singular masculine nouns usually take il when they start with a consonant (other than s + consonant, z, ps, gn).

• lo is reserved for masculine singular nouns beginning with s + consonant (e.g. lo studente), z, ps, gn.
• Unlike English, Italian often requires an article where English would omit it. So you normally cannot drop the article and say just corridoio interno è silenzioso.

How do the adjectives interno and silenzioso agree with corridoio?

Italian adjectives must match the gender and number of the noun they describe.

• corridoio is masculine singular.
• Therefore both adjectives take the masculine singular ending -o: interno, silenzioso.
  If you had multiple corridors, you’d say i corridoi interni sono silenziosi (masculine plural).

Why are the adjectives placed after the noun? Could they come before?

General rule: descriptive adjectives follow the noun in Italian.

• Il corridoio interno è silenzioso is the neutral order.
  Occasionally, some adjectives (especially short or very common ones like bello, grande, piccolo) or poetic/emphatic choices put the adjective before:
• Un silenzioso corridoio sounds more literary or dramatic.
  Putting interno before (l’interno corridoio) is unusual and would sound awkward.

What’s the difference between interno and intorno? They look similar.

They are completely different parts of speech:

• interno is an adjective meaning ‘inside, internal’.
• intorno is an adverb meaning ‘around’ or a noun meaning ‘surroundings’.
  You cannot swap them: corridoio intorno wouldn’t make sense.

Why is the verb è (from essere) used here? Could I use sta (from stare)?

• È is the 3rd person singular of essere (to be), used to state a quality or condition: ‘the corridor is quiet’.
• Stare plus adjective is not standard for describing a characteristic. You’d use stare for whereabouts (Sta a casa) or progressive tense (sto mangiando).
  So you always say il corridoio interno è silenzioso, never sta silenzioso in this context.

Can I use tranquillo instead of silenzioso?

Yes. Silenzioso emphasizes absence of noise. Tranquillo emphasizes calm or lack of disturbance. Both work here:

• Il corridoio interno è tranquillo
  Subtle nuance: silenzioso = ‘quiet (no sound)’, tranquillo = ‘calm, peaceful’.

How would I say the opposite—an external corridor?

Use the adjective esterno (the counterpart of interno):

• Il corridoio esterno è silenzioso (‘The external corridor is quiet’).

What is the correct pronunciation of corridoio, interno, and silenzioso?

• corridoio: /kor-ri-DOH-yo/
• interno: /in-TER-no/
• silenzioso: /si-len-TSEE-O-so/

If I had to describe multiple corridors, how do I pluralize?

• masculine plural of corridoio is corridoi.
• Adjectives become interni and silenziosi:
  “I corridoi interni sono silenziosi.”