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Questions & Answers about Il vento è debole.
What does il mean in il vento è debole?
Il is the masculine singular definite article in Italian, equivalent to the in English. It agrees with vento, which is a masculine singular noun.
Why is vento masculine?
Italian nouns have a grammatical gender (masculine or feminine). Most nouns ending in -o are masculine. Since vento ends in -o, it’s treated as masculine. That’s why you use il (not la) and say vento (not venta).
What’s the difference between e and è?
- e (without an accent) means and.
- è (with an accent) is the third-person singular of the verb essere (to be), meaning is.
In il vento è debole, you need è to say is.
Why does the adjective debole come after the verb è?
In Italian, when you describe something using essere (to be), the adjective follows the verb. That’s called a predicate adjective. So you say il vento è debole (“the wind is weak”) rather than il vento debole è.
Does debole change form for gender and number?
Yes, debole follows this pattern for both masculine and feminine:
- Singular: debole
- Plural: deboli
So you’d say venti deboli for “weak winds” or acque deboli for “weak waters.”
How do you pronounce vento and debole?
- vento: [ˈvɛn.to] with stress on the first syllable (VEN-to).
- debole: [ˈde.bo.le] with stress on the first syllable (DE-bo-le).
Make sure each vowel is clear and short.
Can you omit è and say il vento debole?
If you drop è, il vento debole becomes a noun phrase meaning “the weak wind.” It’s not a complete sentence stating “the wind is weak.” To express that full idea, you need the verb: il vento è debole.
Why isn’t there another il before debole?
Articles in Italian only precede nouns, not adjectives. You have il for the noun vento, but debole is just an adjective linked by essere, so it never takes its own article.