Breakdown of Il portone principale si apre con una chiave elettronica.
con
with
la chiave
the key
principale
main
il portone
the doorway
aprirsi
to open
elettronico
electronic
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Questions & Answers about Il portone principale si apre con una chiave elettronica.
What does portone mean and how is it different from porta?
Portone is an augmentative of porta, so it refers to a larger or more important door—typically a main gate or entrance door of a building. By contrast, porta can be any door (interior or exterior) and is more generic.
Why is the adjective principale placed after portone? Could I say il principale portone?
In Italian most descriptive adjectives come after the noun, so portone principale (“main gate/door”) is the natural order. Placing principale before (il principale portone) is grammatically possible but sounds unusual and often carries a different stylistic or poetic nuance.
What does the construction si apre indicate here?
Si apre is the impersonal or “passive SI” construction. It doesn’t need a specific subject; it means “it opens” or “one opens it.” Here it conveys that the main gate opens (by means of something) without naming who or what does it.
Can I use viene aperto instead of si apre? What’s the difference?
Yes, you can say Il portone principale viene aperto con una chiave elettronica. That’s a true passive voice (using venire + past participle). The difference is:
- si apre (passive/impersonal SI) is more common and neutral.
- viene aperto feels more formal or explicit about the passive.
How would you express this sentence in the active voice?
Literally: Una chiave elettronica apre il portone principale.
However, since a key isn’t really an “agent,” Italians often say:
• Qualcuno apre il portone principale con una chiave elettronica.
This makes the subject qualcuno (“someone”) clear.
What does una chiave elettronica mean, and why is it indefinite?
Una chiave elettronica means “an electronic key.” The indefinite article una implies any such key in general, not a specific one already known to the listener. If you meant a particular key you’d use la chiave elettronica.
How is the preposition con used in this sentence?
Here con means “with” and introduces the instrument or means by which something happens. So it shows that the electronic key is the tool used to open the gate.
How do you pronounce portone principale and elettronica? Where is the stress?
• portone: por-TOH-ne (stress on TOH)
• principale: prin-chee-PAH-le (stress on PAH)
• elettronica: eh-let-TROH-ni-ca (stress on TROH)