Breakdown of Trovo una briciola di formaggio sul pavimento.
io
I
su
on
di
of
trovare
to find
il pavimento
the floor
il formaggio
the cheese
la briciola
the crumb
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Questions & Answers about Trovo una briciola di formaggio sul pavimento.
What does trovo mean and why is it in the present tense?
Trovo is the first person singular present of trovare, meaning I find or I’m finding. Italian often uses the present tense for actions happening right now or general statements. If you wanted to say I found, you would use the passato prossimo: ho trovato.
Why does the sentence use una briciola di formaggio instead of una briciola del formaggio?
The preposition di expresses “a piece of” a substance in general (here, cheese).
Using del (which is di + il) would mean “a crumb of the cheese,” implying a specific cheese already mentioned or known.
Why is briciola feminine, and why do we use the article una?
Briciola is a feminine noun (it ends in -a), so it takes the feminine indefinite article una. In Italian, most nouns ending in -a are feminine.
What’s the difference between saying una briciola di formaggio and un pezzettino di formaggio?
Both refer to a small piece, but:
• briciola specifically means “crumb,” suggesting something very tiny and crumb-like.
• pezzettino is the diminutive of pezzo (“piece”), so it means “little piece” but is a bit more general than briciola.
Why is it sul pavimento instead of su il pavimento?
In Italian, certain prepositions contract with the definite article:
• su + il = sul
• su + la = sulla
Since pavimento is masculine singular, su + il becomes sul.
Could we say sulla pavimento instead?
No, because sulla is su + la, used before feminine nouns. Pavimento is masculine, so only sul pavimento is correct.
Why do we use the definite article with pavimento here?
When referring to “the floor” in a specific context, Italian normally uses the definite article (here absorbed into sul). You almost always say il pavimento (and thus sul pavimento) when talking about a particular floor.
Why is formaggio in the singular and not plural?
Formaggio is an uncountable (mass) noun when talking about cheese as a substance, so it stays singular. You’d only use the plural formaggi if you meant “types of cheese” or several distinct cheeses.
How do you pronounce briciola and formaggio?
• briciola: BREE-cho-la (stress on the first syllable)
• formaggio: for-MAH-joh (stress on the second syllable; double g sounds like English “j”)