La luce soffusa illumina la stanza.

The soft light illuminates the room.

Breakdown of La luce soffusa illumina la stanza.

• la luce: the light
• la stanza: the room
• illuminare: to illuminate
• soffuso: soft

Questions & Answers about La luce soffusa illumina la stanza.

What part of speech is soffusa and what does it mean?

Soffusa is the past participle of soffondere used as an adjective, meaning “soft” or “diffused.” It describes the quality of the light.

Why is soffusa in the feminine singular form?

It modifies luce, which is a feminine singular noun. In Italian, adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.

Why is the definite article la used before both luce and stanza?

Italian requires a definite article before singular countable nouns, even when they’re definite in English. Both luce and stanza are feminine singular, so they take la.

Why is the adjective placed after the noun in luce soffusa?

The default position for most Italian adjectives is after the noun. Placing an adjective before the noun is possible for emphasis or certain common adjectives, but here the neutral, descriptive order is post-nominal.

What is the verb form illumina and how does it agree with the subject?

Illumina is the third-person singular present indicative of illuminare (“to illuminate”). It matches the singular subject la luce (the light).

Could we say La luce soffusa illumina stanza without the article before stanza?

No. Omitting the article makes the sentence ungrammatical here. Italian generally requires the article before singular countable nouns when they refer to specific items.

How would this sentence change if there were multiple lights and rooms?

You’d use the plural forms: Le luci soffuse illuminano le stanze.

Can we place the adjective soffusa before the noun as in la soffusa luce?

Yes, it’s grammatically correct but stylistically marked. Pre-nominal adjectives often sound more poetic or expressive in Italian.