L’atmosfera della città è vivace.

The atmosphere of the city is lively.

Breakdown of L’atmosfera della città è vivace.

• essere: to be
• di: of
• la città: the city
• vivace: lively
• l’atmosfera: the atmosphere

Questions & Answers about L’atmosfera della città è vivace.

Why is there an apostrophe in l’atmosfera instead of writing la atmosfera?

In Italian, when the feminine singular article la comes before a word starting with a vowel, you drop the a and replace it with an apostrophe. This process is called elision:
• la + atmosfera → l’ + atmosfera = l’atmosfera
It prevents two vowels from colliding.

What is the gender and number of atmosfera, and how can I tell?

Atmosfera is a feminine singular noun. You can usually tell because it ends in -a, which is the typical ending for feminine singular nouns in Italian.

Why do we use della before città? Is that a contraction of di + la?

Yes. Della is the fusion of the preposition di (of) and the feminine singular article la. So:
• di + la città = della città (of the city)

Why does città have an accent on the final à, and what happens in the plural?

The grave accent on à marks that the stress falls on the last syllable: cit–TÀ. Nouns stressed on the final vowel keep that accent in both singular and plural:
• Singular: città
• Plural: città

Why is the adjective vivace the same for masculine and feminine singular?

Adjectives ending in -e in Italian have one form for both masculine and feminine singular. To form the plural, you change -e to -i for both genders.

How do we form the plural of vivace and città?

• Vivace → plural vivaci (drop -e, add -i)
• Città → plural città (unchanged because it’s stressed on the final syllable)

How is vivace pronounced and which syllable is stressed?

Vivace has three syllables: vi–VA–ce. The stress is on the penultimate syllable VA, pronounced [viˈvatʃe].

Are there any synonyms or alternative adjectives to describe a lively city atmosphere?

Yes. A few options:
• allegra (cheerful)
• dinamica (dynamic)
• frizzante (sparkling, vibrant)
• piena di vita (full of life)
Each carries a slightly different shade of meaning but can describe a vibrant atmosphere.

Can we omit the article before atmosfera and say Atmosfera della città è vivace?

No. In Italian, abstract or general concepts normally take the definite article. Dropping l’ would sound ungrammatical here.

Could we start with Un’atmosfera vivace instead of L’atmosfera della città è vivace, and what would that change?

Yes. Un’atmosfera vivace means “a lively atmosphere.”
• Un’ is the indefinite article before a feminine noun starting with a vowel.
• It introduces the idea of any lively atmosphere, without specifying “the city” yet.
If you then add della città, it would be clearer to say Un’atmosfera vivace in città rather than Un’atmosfera vivace della città, which can sound awkward.