Breakdown of Al museo ho visto una vetrata di vetro colorato raffigurante una colomba.
io
I
di
of
vedere
to see
il museo
the museum
al
at
il vetro
the glass
la vetrata
the window pane
colorato
colored
raffigurare
to depict
la colomba
the dove
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Italian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Al museo ho visto una vetrata di vetro colorato raffigurante una colomba.
What does vetrata mean, and how is it different from vetrina?
Vetrata (feminine) refers to a large, fixed glass window—often decorative or stained glass. Vetrina (also feminine) means a shop window or display case.
Why is the phrase al museo used here?
Al is the contraction of a + il, meaning “to/at the museum.” In Italian you say al museo to mean “at the museum.”
What does di vetro colorato literally mean and why is that word order chosen?
Literally it’s “of colored glass.” Di vetro links vetrata to its material (glass), and colorato follows vetro because it describes what kind of glass it is.
What is raffigurante, and why not use che raffigura?
Raffigurante is the present participle of raffigurare (“to depict”), used adjectivally to mean “depicting.” You could say che raffigura una colomba (“that depicts a dove”), but raffigurante is more concise and stylistically elevated.
Why is the article una used before vetrata?
Una is the indefinite article “a.” Here the window is being introduced for the first time, so it’s indefinite.
Could I say vetrata colorata instead of vetrata di vetro colorato?
Yes—vetrata colorata (“colored window”) is understood and often used. Adding di vetro specifies that it’s made of glass (“stained glass”), which is more precise.
Why does the sentence start with Al museo ho visto, instead of Ho visto al museo?
Italian word order is flexible. Placing Al museo first emphasizes the location (“At the museum, I saw…”). You could also say Ho visto una vetrata al museo, but the original puts focus on where the action happened.