Un gomitolo rosa cade dal divano.

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Breakdown of Un gomitolo rosa cade dal divano.

• cadere: to fall
• il divano: the sofa
• il gomitolo: the ball of yarn

Questions & Answers about Un gomitolo rosa cade dal divano.

Why is the indefinite article un used instead of uno?

In Italian, uno appears before masculine nouns that begin with z-, s+consonant (like studente or scuola), gn-, ps-, x- or y-. Gomitolo starts with a simple consonant + vowel (g+o), so you use the simpler form un.

How do you know gomitolo is masculine?

Most Italian nouns ending in -o are masculine. The use of un (masculine indefinite article) and the verb ending, which matches a masculine singular subject, also confirms it.

What does dal stand for?

Dal is the contraction of the preposition da (from) + the definite article il (the). So dal divano means from the couch.

Why is the adjective rosa placed after the noun instead of before it?

Descriptive adjectives—especially colors—typically follow the noun in Italian. Putting rosa after gomitolo gives a straightforward, descriptive meaning: gomitolo rosa = “pink ball of yarn.”

Why doesn’t rosa change form for gender or number (e.g., , , )?