Breakdown of Il murale rappresenta una volpe che salta sopra un riccio.
che
that
sopra
over
saltare
to jump
il murale
the mural
rappresentare
to depict
la volpe
the fox
il riccio
the hedgehog
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Questions & Answers about Il murale rappresenta una volpe che salta sopra un riccio.
Why is it il murale and not la murale?
Murale ends in -e but is a masculine noun in Italian, so it takes the masculine article il.
What does rappresenta mean?
Rappresenta is the third person singular present of rappresentare, which means to depict or represent. So Il murale rappresenta means the mural depicts.
Why is it una volpe instead of la volpe?
The indefinite article una is used because the mural depicts any fox in general, not a specific or previously mentioned fox.
Is volpe feminine or masculine? How can I tell?
Volpe is feminine. Many Italian nouns ending in -e can be either gender, so you usually have to learn each noun’s gender by heart.
What does riccio mean?
Here riccio means hedgehog. (It can also mean a curl of hair, but context tells you it’s the animal.)
Why is it un riccio instead of il riccio?
Again, the indefinite article un shows it’s just a hedgehog in general, not a specific one already known.
What role does che play in una volpe che salta sopra un riccio?
Che is a relative pronoun introducing the clause that describes the fox: “that jumps over a hedgehog.”
Why use sopra and not su?
Sopra firmly means “over” or “above,” which is the usual preposition after saltare for “jump over.” Su can mean “up on” or “onto,” suggesting landing rather than leaping over.
Can I say salta su un riccio instead of salta sopra un riccio?
Yes, but salta su implies the fox lands on top of the hedgehog, whereas salta sopra focuses on the action of jumping over it without necessarily landing.
Could I use raffigura instead of rappresenta?
Yes. Raffigura (from raffigurare) also means to depict or portray, and is common in art contexts.
What is the overall structure of the sentence?
It follows Subject–Verb–Object: Il murale (subject) + rappresenta (verb) + una volpe che salta sopra un riccio (direct object with a relative clause).