Question 1

Why is the verb Ho saputo in the passato prossimo here, instead of using the present tense so or the imperfect sapevo?

Accepted Answer

Ho saputo is passato prossimo, which Italian uses for a single, completed action in the past—in this case, the moment you found out about the strike.  
- If you said So dello sciopero, that means “I know about the strike” (present state of knowledge), not “I discovered it.”  
- If you said Sapevo dello sciopero, you’d be using the imperfect, implying “I already knew (for a while) about the strike,” an ongoing past situation rather than the instant you learned.

Question 2

What’s the difference between saputo and sentito in this sentence? They both translate as “heard.”

Accepted Answer

In Italian, sentito (from sentire) emphasizes perceiving something with your ears—“I heard it (spoken).”  
Saputo (from sapere) stresses acquiring information, whether by reading or hearing. Because the information came from reading a flyer, not from overhearing someone speak, you use saputo.

Question 3

What does del in del sciopero stand for, and why is the definite article needed?

Accepted Answer

Del is the contraction of di + il, i.e. “of the.” After sapere (in the sense “hear about” or “find out about”), Italian requires di to introduce the topic, and if that noun is specific, you add the definite article il. Hence del sciopero = “about the strike.” Saying di sciopero without an article would sound unnatural here.

Question 4

Why is it un volantino and not uno volantino?

Accepted Answer

Italian has two masculine indefinite articles: un and uno. Use uno before nouns starting with s+consonant (sc, sp, st, etc.), z, gn, ps, pn, x, y. Since volantino begins with a plain consonant v, the correct form is un volantino.

Question 5

What does affisso mean, and why does the past participle come after the noun?

Accepted Answer

Affisso is the past participle of affiggere (“to post” or “to affix”), here used adjectivally: un volantino affisso alla stazione = “a flyer posted at the station.” In Italian, past participles functioning like adjectives typically follow the noun they modify. You could write the full relative clause un volantino che è affisso alla stazione, but the reduced form is more concise.

Question 6

Why is the preposition da used in da un volantino affisso alla stazione? Could we use something like in or su instead?

Accepted Answer

Da in this context marks the source of information: from a flyer. You use da whenever you want to say “I learned from X” (e.g. da un amico, da un giornale).  
- In un volantino would mean “in a flyer” (where the content is located) but doesn’t emphasize “source.”  
- Su un volantino means “on a flyer,” which is possible but slightly shifts the nuance to where it was printed rather than from what you learned.

Question 7

Can I turn the reduced relative clause into a full one? For example, replace affisso with che era affisso?

Accepted Answer

Yes. A perfectly valid rephrasing is:  
Ho saputo dello sciopero da un volantino che era affisso alla stazione.  
This uses the full relative clause che era affisso instead of the past participle affisso, but the meaning remains identical. The reduced form is simply more idiomatic and compact.

Question 8

Could I begin the sentence with Da un volantino affisso alla stazione instead of placing it at the end? Does that change anything?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. Italian word order is flexible for emphasis. Starting with the source puts focus on where you got the news:  
Da un volantino affisso alla stazione ho saputo dello sciopero.  
The meaning stays the same; you’re just foregrounding the flyer as the point of departure.

Ho saputo dello sciopero da un volantino affisso alla stazione.

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