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Il gatto si nasconde fra le sedie.

Il gatto si nasconde fra le sedie.
The cat hides among the chairs.
FromLesson 36inHardcore Italian
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Breakdown of Il gatto si nasconde fra le sedie.

il gatto
the cat
la sedia
the chair
nascondersi
to hide
fra
among

Questions & Answers about Il gatto si nasconde fra le sedie.

What role does si play in Il gatto si nasconde?
Si is the third-person reflexive pronoun. It turns nascondere (“to hide”) into the pronominal verb nascondersi (“to hide oneself”). Here it tells us that the subject (the cat) is doing the hiding to itself.
Why is the reflexive pronoun placed before the verb and not attached at the end?

In simple tenses (like the present indicative nasconde), reflexive pronouns stand before the conjugated verb:
• Il gatto si nasconde.
They only attach to the end in non-finite forms:
• Nascondersi (infinitive)
• Nascondendosi (gerund)

Could you say nasconde without si?

No, because nascondersi is inherently reflexive in this context. Omitting si would leave you with nascondere (to hide something), changing the meaning:
• Nasconde il topo = “He hides the mouse.”
• Si nasconde = “He hides himself.”

What’s the difference between fra and tra in fra le sedie?

There is no difference in meaning—fra and tra are fully interchangeable prepositions for “between” or “among.” You can say either:
• Il gatto si nasconde fra le sedie
• Il gatto si nasconde tra le sedie

Why is it fra le sedie and not fra sedie?
Italian normally requires the definite article with plural countable nouns when you mean “between the chairs.” Omitting the article (fra sedie) sounds awkward or overly poetic, as if you were speaking in a very general or abstract way.
How would you say “The cat hides between the chair” (singular)?

You would use the singular feminine article and noun:
• Il gatto si nasconde fra la sedia.

What tense and person is nasconde?
Nasconde is the third person singular of the present indicative of nascondere/nascondersi. It means “he/she/it hides.”
What is the gender and number of sedie?
Sedie is the feminine plural form of sedia (chair). The singular is la sedia, the plural is le sedie.
Can you break down each word’s part of speech in the sentence?

• Il – definite article, masculine singular
• gatto – noun, masculine singular
• si – reflexive pronoun
• nasconde – verb (3rd sg. present of nascondersi)
• fra – preposition (“between/among”)
• le – definite article, feminine plural
• sedie – noun, feminine plural

How is fra pronounced?

It’s a single syllable [fra].
• f as in English “fun”
• r rolled or tapped (Italian alveolar)
• a like the “a” in “father”

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