Breakdown of Sul tavolo del salotto ho lasciato le forbici e il giornale di oggi.
io
I
il tavolo
the table
di
of
oggi
today
e
and
del
of
lasciare
to leave
il giornale
the newspaper
il salotto
the living room
sul
on
le forbici
the scissors
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Questions & Answers about Sul tavolo del salotto ho lasciato le forbici e il giornale di oggi.
What does sul mean, and why is it used here instead of su + la?
sul is the contraction of su + il, used before a masculine singular noun. Since tavolo is masculine singular, you say sul tavolo rather than su il tavolo. If the noun were feminine singular (for example sedia), you would say sulla sedia (su + la).
What does del salotto mean, and why do we use del here?
del is the contraction of di + il, so del salotto means of the living room. It specifies that the table belongs to or is located in the living room. Because salotto is masculine singular, di + il salotto becomes del salotto.
Why is there a definite article before giornale di oggi? Could we drop il?
Italian normally requires the article with giornale (a countable noun) when referring to a specific newspaper. il giornale di oggi means today’s newspaper. Omitting the article (giornale di oggi) feels less natural in standard speech; you might see it in headlines, but in a full sentence you keep il.
What tense is ho lasciato, and how is it formed?
ho lasciato is the passato prossimo (present perfect). It’s formed with the auxiliary avere in the present tense (ho) plus the past participle of lasciare (lasciato). It corresponds to English I left or I have left and is used for completed actions in the recent past.
Why doesn’t lasciato agree in gender and number with le forbici?
With verbs that take avere, the past participle does not agree with the direct object when the object comes after the verb. Here le forbici follows ho lasciato, so lasciato stays in its default masculine singular form. If you replace the object with a pronoun placed before the verb (Le forbici, le ho lasciate), then the participle agrees and becomes lasciate.
What does di oggi mean, and why not just oggi?
di oggi literally means of today, specifying the date of the newspaper—today’s newspaper. You can’t say oggi giornale; you need the preposition di to link giornale and oggi.
Could you move the location phrase after the verb? For example: Ho lasciato le forbici e il giornale di oggi sul tavolo del salotto?
Yes. Italian word order is flexible. Both
Sul tavolo del salotto ho lasciato le forbici e il giornale di oggi
and
Ho lasciato le forbici e il giornale di oggi sul tavolo del salotto
mean the same thing. It’s just a matter of emphasis or style.
What’s the difference between tavolo del salotto and tavolo nel salotto? Could we say sul tavolo nel salotto?
tavolo del salotto (“the living‐room’s table”) suggests ownership or that it’s the specific table belonging to that room. tavolo nel salotto simply locates a table inside the living room. You can say sul tavolo nel salotto to mean on the table in the living room, but sul tavolo del salotto emphasizes that it’s the room’s designated table.