Learn Hardcore Italian: Grandine cade sul tetto e fa un forte rumore. - Hail falls on the roof and makes a loud noise.

Because grandine here is used as a mass noun referring to hail in general. Italian often omits the definite article when talking about phenomena or materials in a generic sense. If you wanted to refer to a specific hailstorm, you could say la grandine or use una grandinata.

Why is the verb cade used instead of something like piove?

cade is the third person singular present of cadere (to fall), which describes hail falling. piove means “it rains” and is used for rain (la pioggia). You wouldn’t normally say piove grandine in standard Italian.

What does sul stand for and how is it formed?

sul is a contraction of su (on) + il (the). It means “on the.” Italian combines short prepositions with definite articles: sulla (su + la), sui (su + i), sulle (su + le).

Why is tetto introduced with a definite article, even though there was none before grandine?

Definite articles in Italian signal a specific or known item. il tetto refers to the building’s roof in context, so you say sul tetto. grandine was used generically (hail in general), so no article was needed there.

Why is the clause joined with e fa instead of using a comma or another conjunction?

Using e (and) to link two main clauses is straightforward and common in Italian. You could also write “Grandine cade sul tetto, facendo un forte rumore,” but that uses a gerund and changes the style slightly. e fa is simply more direct.

What role does fa play in fa un forte rumore?

In this phrase, fa is the third person singular of fare (to make/do). It means “it makes a loud noise.” In Italian, fare rumore is the standard way to express “to make noise.”

Why is forte placed before rumore, and could the order be swapped?

Many adjectives in Italian can go before or after the noun, with subtle emphasis differences. un forte rumore is very natural; placing forte before gives it extra emphasis. You could also say un rumore forte, which is equally correct but slightly less emphatic.

What’s the difference between grandine and grandinata?

grandine is the noun for “hail” (the ice pellets), treated as a mass noun. grandinata means “hailstorm” (the event). You could say una grandinata to talk about a specific storm, but grandine focuses on the falling hail itself.