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Questions & Answers about La lenticchia rossa è piccola.
Why does the sentence start with the definite article la instead of using una?
In Italian, when you speak about a class or category in general (here, “the red lentil” as a type), you normally use the definite article. If you wanted to say “a small red lentil” (one single lentil), you would use the indefinite article una and adjust adjective order: una piccola lenticchia rossa.
How do I know that lenticchia is feminine and singular?
Most Italian nouns ending in -a are feminine singular. The accompanying article la and the adjective endings -a in rossa and piccola also signal feminine singular agreement.
Why are both adjectives (rossa and piccola) placed after the noun rather than before it?
In Italian the “default” position for most descriptive adjectives—especially colors—is after the noun. You can move adjectives before a noun for stylistic or emphatic reasons (e.g. la piccola lenticchia rossa), but it sounds more neutral or typical to keep them afterward.
Could I swap the order of the two adjectives? For example, la piccola lenticchia rossa?
Yes. Both la piccola lenticchia rossa and la lenticchia rossa è piccola are grammatically correct. Placing piccola before the noun gives a slight emphasis on its smallness; placing it after the noun (as in the original) simply describes the size in a neutral way.
How would I change the sentence if I wanted to talk about more than one lentil?
You make the noun and adjectives plural and adjust the article and verb accordingly:
Le lenticchie rosse sono piccole.
Here le is the feminine plural definite article, lenticchie is plural, rosse/piccole are plural adjectives, and sono is “are.”
Why is the verb è (he/she/it is) used, and could I use sta instead?
We use è from essere because we are giving a characteristic (size). Stare is normally used for location (where someone/something is) or progressive actions (I am eating = sto mangiando). You wouldn’t say la lenticchia rossa sta piccola.
How do I pronounce lenticchia and rossa with those double consonants?
- lenticchia: the cch before i produces a hard k sound, so it’s pronounced [len-TEE-kyah].
- rossa: the double ss is held longer than a single s, so you say [ROS-sah], feeling a slight pause or “hold” on the s.
Is it ever acceptable in Italian to drop the article and say simply lenticchia rossa è piccola?
No, not in standard Italian. Unlike English, Italian normally requires the article before singular and plural countable nouns, even when making generic statements. Omitting it sounds ungrammatical.