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Questions & Answers about La rotaia è sporca.
Why is the article la used before rotaia instead of il?
Because rotaia is a feminine noun in Italian, so it takes the feminine definite article la. Masculine nouns use il.
Why does the adjective sporca end in -a?
Adjectives in Italian agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Since rotaia is feminine singular, sporco (dirty) becomes sporca (feminine singular).
How do you pronounce rotaia correctly?
You divide it as ro-TA-ja. The ia forms a /ja/ sound, so it’s pronounced ro-TAH-ya, with the stress on the second syllable.
What does the accent on è indicate?
The grave accent on è shows that it’s the third-person singular of the verb essere (“is”). Without the accent, e means “and.”
How would I say this in the plural?
The plural of rotaia is rotaie, and sporca changes to sporche. You’d say Le rotaie sono sporche (“The rails are dirty”).
Is rotaia the same as binario?
Not exactly. Rotaia refers to a single metal rail, while binario refers to the track or railway line (usually made up of two rails).
Can I drop the article and say Rotaia è sporca?
No. In Italian, you generally need the definite article before nouns, so La rotaia è sporca is correct. Omitting la sounds ungrammatical.
How would you say a rail is dirty with an indefinite article?
Use Una rotaia è sporca. Una is the feminine singular indefinite article corresponding to “a.”