Learn Hardcore Italian: La regista del film saluta il pubblico dopo la proiezione. - The film director greets the audience after the screening.

In Italian, regista (director) ends in -a for both male and female directors. You mark gender with the definite article: il regista (a male director) vs. la regista (a female director).

What does del in del film represent?

del is the contraction of di + il, meaning “of the.” So la regista del film translates literally as “the director of the film.”

Why is saluta used without a preposition before il pubblico?

Salutare is a transitive verb in Italian, so it directly takes its object without a preposition. Saluta il pubblico simply means “(she) greets the audience.”

What exactly does pubblico mean here?

Here, pubblico means “audience” (the group of spectators). It’s a masculine singular noun even though it refers to many people because it’s a collective noun.

Why is the present tense saluta used instead of a past form?

The present indicative saluta describes a general action or narrative moment (common in summaries or synopses). To describe a single completed event in the past, you could say ha salutato (she greeted).

What part of speech is dopo, and why do we need the article before proiezione?

Dopo is a preposition meaning “after.” When referring to a specific event, Italian normally uses the definite article: dopo la proiezione (“after the screening”). Omitting the article would sound more generic or colloquial.

What does proiezione mean, and why is it feminine?

Proiezione means “screening” or “projection” (of a film). In Italian, all nouns ending in -zione are feminine, so you say la proiezione.

Why is film used unchanged in Italian, and what is its gender?

Film is an English loanword in Italian and is invariable in number. Although it ends with -m, it’s treated as masculine: il film, i film.