Una ragazza prende l’ombrello dalla borsa.

A girl takes the umbrella from the bag.

Breakdown of Una ragazza prende l’ombrello dalla borsa.

• prendere: to take
• da: from
• la borsa: the bag
• l’ombrello: the umbrella

Questions & Answers about Una ragazza prende l’ombrello dalla borsa.

Why is the noun ombrello preceded by l’?

In Italian, singular nouns normally require a definite article. Before a masculine noun starting with a vowel, the article il undergoes elision and becomes l’, so l’ombrello = “the umbrella.”

What does dalla stand for, and why can’t we just say da la?

Dalla is the contracted form of the preposition da (“from”) + the feminine singular definite article la. In Italian, da + la always merges into dalla, not da la.

Why is una used before ragazza rather than il or no article at all?

Una is the feminine singular indefinite article (“a” or “an”). Since ragazza is a feminine noun, we use una to mean “a girl.” You can’t use il (masculine) or omit the article if you intend “a girl.”

What person and tense is prende?

Prende is the third-person singular present indicative of the verb prendere (“to take”). In this sentence it means “she takes.”

Why isn’t there an explicit subject pronoun like lei?