Un amico offre un biscotto e l'altro offre un tè.

the friend

Breakdown of Un amico offre un biscotto e l'altro offre un tè.

• e: and
• il tè: the tea
• offrire: to offer

Questions & Answers about Un amico offre un biscotto e l'altro offre un tè.

Why is the masculine indefinite article un used before amico instead of uno?

The article uno is reserved for masculine nouns beginning with z, s + consonant (like studente), gn, ps, x, y. For all other masculine nouns—including those starting with a vowel like amico—you use un.

What does l' in l'altro represent, and why is there an apostrophe?

l' is the elision of the definite article lo (or il) before a vowel. You drop the final vowel of lo and replace it with an apostrophe so lo + altro becomes l'altro.

Why is the noun amico omitted after l'altro?

Italian often drops a clearly understood noun. l'altro is shorthand for l'altro amico (“the other friend”). Since “friend” is already mentioned, repeating it is optional.

What’s the difference between un altro and l'altro?

un altro means “another friend” (an additional, indefinite friend), whereas l'altro means “the other friend” (the specific second friend you already have in mind).