Learn Hardcore Italian: Davanti alla scuola c’è un cantiere rumoroso che blocca la strada. - In front of the school there is a noisy construction site that blocks the street.

Davanti means “in front of,” and in Italian most motion or location prepositions (like davanti) must be followed by a plus the definite article. Since scuola is feminine singular, a + la = alla. So you say davanti alla scuola, not davanti scuola.

Could I use di fronte alla scuola instead of davanti alla scuola?

Yes. Di fronte a and davanti a both translate as “in front of.” Di fronte often stresses the idea of “facing” something, while davanti simply locates it in front. Both require a + article: di fronte alla scuola or davanti alla scuola.

What is c’è and why is it written with an apostrophe?

C’è is the contraction of ci + è, meaning “there is.” Ci is an adverbial pronoun indicating existence or location; è is “is.” The vowel i in ci is dropped before è, marked by the apostrophe.

What does cantiere mean?

Cantiere is a masculine noun meaning “construction site” or “building site.”

Why does rumoroso come after cantiere instead of before?

In Italian the neutral position for most adjectives is after the noun. So un cantiere rumoroso follows the default word order: noun + adjective. Placing it before (un rumoroso cantiere) would sound marked or poetic.

What role does che play in che blocca la strada?

Che is a relative pronoun meaning “that” (or “which”). It refers back to cantiere and introduces the clause che blocca la strada, describing the site’s action.

Why is blocca in the simple present instead of a continuous tense?

Italian typically uses the simple present to express both ongoing actions and general truths. So che blocca la strada naturally conveys “that is blocking the road.” You don’t need a separate continuous form as in English.

Can I say un cantiere rumoroso che sta bloccando la strada instead?

Yes. If you want to stress the ongoing action, use stare + gerund: un cantiere rumoroso che sta bloccando la strada (“a noisy site that is blocking the road”). Both forms are correct; the difference is nuance and emphasis.

Why is there a definite article in la strada?

In Italian, many common nouns (roads included) take a definite article when you refer to them in a general or specific sense. La strada means “the road.” Omitting the article (just strada) would sound unnatural in this context.

Can I change the word order to C’è un cantiere rumoroso davanti alla scuola?

Absolutely. Italian word order is flexible. Both Davanti alla scuola c’è un cantiere rumoroso and C’è un cantiere rumoroso davanti alla scuola are correct. The emphasis simply shifts slightly from the location to the existence of the site.