Breakdown of Questo bicchiere è così trasparente da sembrare invisibile, un vero esempio di eleganza.
essere
to be
il bicchiere
the glass
di
of
questo
this
così
so
vero
true
sembrare
to seem
da
to
l'esempio
the example
trasparente
transparent
invisibile
invisible
l'eleganza
the elegance
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Questions & Answers about Questo bicchiere è così trasparente da sembrare invisibile, un vero esempio di eleganza.
Why is the sentence built with così … da + infinitive (“così trasparente da sembrare invisibile”) and what does this structure mean?
The construction così … da + infinito expresses “so … that …” in Italian.
- così trasparente = “so transparent”
- da sembrare invisibile = “that it seems invisible”
It’s equivalent to English “so transparent that it seems invisible.” You could also say tanto trasparente che sembra invisibile, but così … da is more concise.
Why is da used before sembrare instead of per?
In Italian, to link a degree expression (così, tanto, talmente) with an infinitive result, you use da + infinito.
- così trasparente da sembrare…
You don’t use per + infinito here, because per would express purpose (“in order to seem”), not consequence/result.
Could we replace sembrare with apparire, and is there any nuance?
Yes, you can say così trasparente da apparire invisibile.
- sembrare and apparire are often interchangeable: both mean “to seem/appear.”
- apparire can sound slightly more formal or literary, while sembrare is more neutral and common in everyday speech.
Why is the adjective invisibile not changing form (masculine/feminine, singular/plural)?
Invisibile belongs to the group of adjectives ending in -e: they have one form for masculine and feminine singular, and another form by changing -e to -i for the plural (e.g. invisibili). Since bicchiere is singular, you keep invisibile unchanged.
Why does the phrase use un vero esempio di eleganza instead of un vero esempio d’eleganza?
Both di eleganza and d’eleganza are correct; dropping the vowel in speech and writing (to get d’eleganza) is optional and mostly stylistic.
- di eleganza (no contraction) is perfectly standard.
- d’eleganza (with apostrophe) can feel a bit more literary or poetic.
What is the function of the comma before un vero esempio di eleganza?
The comma introduces an apposition or parenthetical remark that adds extra commentary.
- The main clause is Questo bicchiere è così trasparente da sembrare invisibile.
- Then you append un vero esempio di eleganza as an extra judgement: “a true example of elegance.”
Without the comma it would read as one continuous phrase, but with the comma you emphasize it as a concluding flourish.