ELONIO
Log inSign up

Al porto c’è un autonoleggio che apre alle otto.

Al porto c’è un autonoleggio che apre alle otto.
At the port there is a car-rental office that opens at eight.
FromLesson 47inHardcore Italian

Questions & Answers about Al porto c’è un autonoleggio che apre alle otto.

Why is it al porto rather than just a porto or in porto?
Al is the contraction of a + il (“to/at the”). You need the definite article because porto (“port/harbor”) is a common noun, not a place name like Roma. Saying a porto would be ungrammatical. You could use in porto to mean “inside the port,” but it shifts the nuance from “at the port area” to “within the harbor.”
What does c’è mean, and how is it formed?
C’è is the contraction of ci + è, meaning “there is.” Ci is an adverbial pronoun roughly “there,” and è is the third‐person singular of essere (“to be”).
Why is the article un used before autonoleggio and not uno?
Masculine singular nouns starting with a vowel take un, not uno. You use uno only before masculine nouns beginning with s+consonant (e.g. uno studente), z, gn, ps, pn, x, y.
What exactly is autonoleggio, and can I say noleggio auto instead?
Autonoleggio is a compound noun from auto (“car”) + noleggio (“rental”), i.e. a car‐rental agency. You can also say noleggio auto or noleggio di auto, but autonoleggio is the standard single word for “car rental.”
Why is che used before apre, and what does it do?
Che is the relative pronoun (“that/which”) introducing a relative clause. Here it stands for the subject of apre, linking back to un autonoleggio. It literally means “an agency that opens at eight.”
Could we omit che and just say “Al porto c’è un autonoleggio, apre alle otto”?
Informally you might hear the comma + verb: “…un autonoleggio, apre alle otto.” But using che apre is more fluid and grammatically proper for a single sentence with a relative clause.
Why is apre in the third‐person singular?
Because its subject in the relative clause is singular (un autonoleggio). Verbs in Italian always agree in person and number with their subject.
Why do we say alle otto instead of a otto or all’otto?
When telling time, Italian uses the feminine plural article le for hours from two to twelve: le due, le tre, … le dodici. You combine a with le to form alle. Hence alle otto = “at eight o’clock.”
Is otto feminine or masculine? Why “le otto”?
The implied noun is ore (“hours”), which is feminine plural. So you say le otto (ore) and contract with a to get alle otto.
If there were several rental agencies, could I use ci sono instead of c’è?

Yes. Ci sono is the plural form of c’è. For example:
Al porto ci sono autonoleggi che aprono alle otto.

AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“What's the best way to learn Italian grammar?”
Italian grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning Italian

Master Italian — from Al porto c’è un autonoleggio che apre alle otto to fluency

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions
Open the Italian course →