Breakdown of Dopo il blackout, accendo la lampada.
io
I
dopo
after
accendere
to turn on
la lampada
the lamp
il blackout
the blackout
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Questions & Answers about Dopo il blackout, accendo la lampada.
Why is accendo in the present tense when it refers to something I did after the blackout?
This is the use of the “historical” or “narrative” present in Italian. Speakers often use the present tense to describe past events more vividly. You could also say Dopo il blackout, ho acceso la lampada (using past perfect), but accendo makes the scene feel more immediate.
Why is there a definite article il before blackout?
In Italian, most nouns—including loanwords like blackout—require an article. Since blackout is treated as a masculine singular noun, you say il blackout.
Can I omit the article and say Dopo blackout, accendo la lampada?
No. Standard Italian requires the article with countable nouns, even loanwords. Omitting il would sound ungrammatical or very colloquial.
Why is it dopo il blackout and not dopo di blackout or dopo che?
When dopo is followed by a noun, the pattern is dopo + article + noun. You only use dopo di with pronouns (e.g., dopo di me). If you want a full clause, you can say dopo che c’è stato un blackout, but that’s longer and less concise.
How do I know lampada is feminine and needs la?
In Italian, nouns ending in -a are usually feminine. Lampada ends in -a, so it takes the feminine article la.
Could I use luce instead of lampada?
Yes. Accendo la luce (I turn on the light) is very common, especially for a wall switch. Lampada refers specifically to a lamp (a freestanding or table lamp).
Is the subject “I” omitted? Where is it in Italian?
Italian verbs encode the subject in their endings, so subject pronouns are often dropped. Accendo already implies io (I).
What’s the infinitive of accendo, and how does the verb accendere conjugate in the present?
The infinitive is accendere (“to turn on,” “to switch on”). It’s a third-conjugation -ere verb. Present tense:
io accendo
tu accendi
lui/lei accende
noi accendiamo
voi accendete
loro accendono
Can I switch the order and say Accendo la lampada dopo il blackout?
Yes. Italian is flexible with adverbial phrases. Placing dopo il blackout at the end still conveys the same meaning; starting with Dopo il blackout simply emphasizes the timing.