Breakdown of Lo stagista compila l’elenco dei documenti.
di
of
il documento
the document
compilare
to fill out
lo stagista
the intern
l’elenco
the list
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Italian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Lo stagista compila l’elenco dei documenti.
Why is lo used before stagista instead of il?
Because stagista begins with an s + consonant cluster, the masculine singular article il becomes lo before words starting with s + consonant (and also before z).
Is stagista always masculine? What if it refers to a female intern?
The noun stagista is the same for both genders. You mark gender with the article: lo stagista (male intern) versus la stagista (female intern).
What tense and person is compila?
Compila is the third person singular present indicative of compilare, meaning “he/she/it fills out,” “compiles,” or “is compiling.”
Why is elenco written as l’elenco rather than il elenco?
Since elenco starts with a vowel, Italian elides the vowel of il and adds an apostrophe: l’ + elenco = l’elenco. This makes pronunciation smoother.
What is the role of dei in dei documenti?
Dei is the contraction of di + i, functioning as “of the” for plural masculine nouns. So l’elenco dei documenti literally means “the list of the documents.”
Could you say just di documenti instead of dei documenti?
Yes, but with a nuance difference: di documenti (without the article) means “of documents” in a general sense, while dei documenti specifies “of the documents,” i.e., a particular set.
What grammatical function does l’elenco dei documenti serve in this sentence?
It is the direct object of the verb compila. The structure is: subject (lo stagista) + verb (compila) + direct object (l’elenco dei documenti).
Why doesn’t Italian use a continuous tense like “is compiling”?
Italian normally uses the simple present (compila) for both “he compiles” and “he is compiling.” To emphasize an action in progress, you can use the periphrasis sta compilando (literally “is compiling”).
How do you pronounce stagista, and where is the stress?
Stagista is pronounced /staˈdʒi.sta/, with the stress on the second syllable: sta-GIS-ta. The g sounds like the English “j” in “judge.”
What’s the difference between compilare and riempire?
Use compilare for filling in forms, lists, questionnaires or compiling documents. Riempire is more general (“to fill” a glass, a box, etc.). For paperwork or lists, compilare is the correct choice.