Learn Hardcore Italian: Questa scorciatoia è più veloce, ma il sentiero ha un po’ di ruggine sul vecchio corrimano. - This shortcut is faster, but the path has a bit of rust on the old handrail.

Italian nouns ending in -a are usually feminine, so scorciatoia (“shortcut”) is feminine. Demonstratives must agree in gender and number: feminine singular takes questa (“this”).

How is the comparative formed in è più veloce?

To form a comparative of superiority in Italian, you use più + adjective. Here veloce (“fast”) becomes più veloce (“faster”). You can also form an inferior comparative with meno + adjective (e.g. meno veloce = “less fast”).

Why does the sentence say ha un po’ di ruggine instead of c’è un po’ di ruggine?

Both are grammatically correct:

Ha un po’ di ruggine = “it has a bit of rust,” focusing on the handrail possessing rust.
C’è un po’ di ruggine = “there is some rust,” more impersonal.
The choice of ha makes it sound like the rust is literally “on” or “with” the handrail.

What does un po’ di mean, and why is there an apostrophe in po’?

Un po’ di means “a bit of” or “a little (amount) of.” The full word is poco, but in this fixed expression it’s shortened to po’: the apostrophe marks the missing -co.

How do you get sul vecchio corrimano from su + il + vecchio corrimano?

Sul is the contracted form of su (“on”) + il (“the”). Italian prepositions su, di, a, da, in, con, per, tra/fra often contract with definite articles:

su + il = sul
su + lo = sullo
su + la = sulla
su + l’ = sull’
(and similarly in the plural: sui, sugli, sulle).

Is corrimano always masculine, and what exactly does it mean?

Yes, corrimano is a masculine noun (il corrimano). It literally means “handrail” or “banister.” It’s a compound of corri (runs) + mano (hand), evoking something along which a hand “runs” for support.

Why is vecchio placed before corrimano, and could it come after the noun?

Most descriptive adjectives in Italian follow the noun (corrimano vecchio), but many common adjectives—especially those expressing age, beauty, or size—can precede without changing meaning: il vecchio corrimano. Placing it before often sounds slightly more formal or inherent; putting it after (il corrimano vecchio) can feel a bit more colloquial or emphatic.

Why does più carry an accent?

The grave accent on più marks the stressed vowel and distinguishes it from piu (which doesn’t exist) or from più as a conjunction in older texts. In modern Italian, più always carries the accent when it means “more” or “most,” or forms comparatives/superlatives.