Learn Hardcore Italian: All’ingresso del museo un addetto controlla i biglietti con attenzione. - At the museum entrance an attendant checks the tickets carefully.

All’ is a contraction of the preposition a + the definite article il. Since ingresso is masculine singular (il ingresso), you combine a + il into al, but because ingresso starts with a vowel, al ingresso becomes all’ingresso (dropping the “i” and adding an apostrophe).

What does addetto mean in this context?

An addetto is a person assigned or entrusted with a specific task—in this case, the person in charge of checking tickets. In English, you might translate it as “attendant,” “staff member,” or “clerk” depending on formality.

Why is there del museo instead of di il museo?

Del is the contraction of di + il. Just as a + il → al, di + il → del. So del museo literally means “of the museum.”

Why does controlla end in -a?

Controlla is the third person singular of controllare in the present indicative. The subject is un addetto (he/she/it), so you use controlla, not controllano (they) or controlli (you).

Why are i biglietti plural and with the definite article i?

Here we refer to the specific tickets that visitors hold, so Italian uses the definite article i (“the tickets”). It’s plural because the attendant checks all the tickets presented, not just one. If you spoke of checking one ticket, you could say controlla il biglietto.

Could we use an adverb instead of con attenzione, for example controlla i biglietti attentamente?

Yes. Both are correct:
• controlla i biglietti con attenzione (with attention, noun + preposition)
• controlla i biglietti attentamente (attentively, adverb)
They’re interchangeable, though con attenzione can sound slightly more formal or descriptive.

Is the word order fixed? Could you say Un addetto controlla i biglietti con attenzione all’ingresso del museo?

Yes, Italian word order is fairly flexible for adverbial phrases. Placing all’ingresso del museo at the end is perfectly acceptable; it only shifts emphasis. Starting with the location (as in the original) highlights where the action happens.

Why isn’t there a comma after museo?

A comma would be optional here. The sentence is clear without it because the initial phrase All’ingresso del museo naturally groups together and flows into the main clause. You could write All’ingresso del museo, un addetto… if you wanted a slight pause.

Could you use a synonym of controlla, like verifica?

Yes. Verifica (from verificare) also means “checks” or “verifies.” You could say All’ingresso del museo un addetto verifica i biglietti con attenzione. The nuance is similar, though controllare is more common in everyday speech for checking tickets.