Breakdown of Il bambino trova una nocciola in giardino.
trovare
to find
in
in
il giardino
the garden
il bambino
the child
la nocciola
the hazelnut
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Italian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Il bambino trova una nocciola in giardino.
Why is the definite article il used before bambino? Could we use lo or l’ instead?
In Italian, bambino is a masculine singular noun that begins with a simple consonant (B-). The rule is:
- Use il before masculine singular nouns starting with most consonants.
- Use lo before masculine singular nouns starting with s+consonant, z, gn, pn, ps, x, or y.
- Use l’ before masculine singular nouns starting with a vowel. Since bambino starts with B, the correct article is il, so il bambino.
Why is the indefinite article una used with nocciola? Why not un nocciola or la nocciola?
Nocciola is a feminine singular noun. In Italian:
- una is the feminine singular indefinite article (a/an).
- un is the masculine singular indefinite article.
- la is the feminine singular definite article (the). Hence, for “a hazelnut,” you need una nocciola. La nocciola would mean “the hazelnut.”
What does nocciola mean? Is it the same as a peanut?
Nocciola means hazelnut. It is not a peanut. The Italian word for peanut is arachide (more formal) or colloquially nocciolina (“little hazelnut,” but actually “peanut”).
Why is there no article before giardino in in giardino? Could we say nel giardino?
With prepositions of place, Italian often drops the article for general, habitual, or typical locations:
- in giardino means “in the garden” in a general sense (where children usually play, etc.). If you want to specify or emphasize a particular garden, you’d use nel giardino (in + il = nel):
- Il bambino trova una nocciola nel giardino di zia Maria.
Why is the verb trova in the simple present? Doesn’t Italian have a continuous form like English is finding?
Italian does not use a distinct continuous aspect like English. The simple present (trova) covers both:
- Habitual actions (“every day he finds…”)
- Ongoing actions (“right now he finds…”) If you want to emphasize “right now,” you can add an adverb:
- Il bambino trova adesso una nocciola in giardino.
Could we rearrange the sentence to Una nocciola il bambino trova in giardino?
Yes, Italian word order is flexible, but the neutral, unmarked order is Subject-Verb-Object (SVO): Il bambino trova una nocciola. Fronting una nocciola (Object-Subject-Verb) is grammatical but marked or poetic—it emphasizes “a hazelnut.”
When do I use in versus a for places, as in in giardino?
- In is used for being or moving inside enclosed or defined spaces: in giardino, in ufficio, in biblioteca, in Italia.
- A is used for cities, small islands, and before casa, scuola, chiesa when indicating destination or location: vado a Roma, torno a casa.
Since a garden is viewed as a defined area, you say in giardino.