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Questions & Answers about La proiezione inizia tra poco.
What does proiezione mean in this sentence?
Proiezione is the Italian word for a film “screening” or “showing.” It comes from the verb proiettare (“to project”), so la proiezione is “the projection” or more naturally “the screening.”
Why is proiezione feminine and preceded by la?
In Italian, most nouns ending in -ione are feminine. That’s why you say la proiezione (singular) and le proiezioni (plural).
What type of verb form is inizia?
Inizia is the third‐person singular present indicative of iniziare (“to begin/start”). Literally it means “it begins” or “it starts.” Here the subject is la proiezione, so “the screening starts…”
Why is there no direct object after inizia?
Because inizia is used intransitively here: “the screening starts.” When you transitive it, you could say inizia il film (“the film starts”), but with la proiezione itself as the subject, there’s no need for a direct object.
What does tra poco mean, and is it the same as a breve or presto?
Tra poco means “soon” or “in a little while.” You can also say fra poco (identical meaning). A breve is more formal and also “shortly.” Presto usually means “quickly,” but colloquially you might hear presto to mean “soon” as well.
Can I say La proiezione comincia tra poco instead?
Yes. Cominciare is a synonym of iniziare. So La proiezione comincia tra poco is perfectly natural and means the same thing.
Could I reorder the sentence to Tra poco inizia la proiezione?
Absolutely. Italian word order is flexible. Starting with Tra poco just emphasizes the time: “Soon, the screening starts.”
How do I pronounce proiezione correctly?
Break it into syllables: pro-i-e-ZIO-ne. The stress falls on ZIO, and the z sounds like “ts” in “cats.” So roughly: pro-ee-ET-syo-neh.