Learn Hardcore Italian: I bambini giocano all’aperto dopo la scuola.

In Italian, when you talk about a whole category (“children” in general), you normally include the definite article. So I bambini giocano… literally “The children play…,” but it translates as “Children play….” Dropping the article would sound odd or incomplete in most contexts.

Why is it i and not gli before bambini?

The plural masculine article i is used before words that begin with a consonant (like b). Gli is used before vowels and certain consonant clusters (s + consonant, z, gn, ps, x, y). Since bambini starts with b, you use i bambini.

What does giocano mean, and how does it come from the verb giocare?

Giocano is the third-person plural present indicative of giocare (“to play”). It means “they play.” The full present-tense conjugation is: io gioco
tu giochi
lui/lei gioca
noi giochiamo
voi giocate
loro giocano
Note the h in giochi and giochiamo, which keeps the hard /k/ sound before e and i.

What does all’aperto mean, and how is that phrase built?

All’aperto means “outdoors” or “in the open air.” It’s formed by the preposition a + the definite article l’ (used before a vowel) + the adjective aperto (masculine singular). Together they create an adverbial phrase.

Why do we write all’aperto and not al aperto or alla aperta?

Because aperto is masculine singular and starts with a vowel, its article il becomes l’. You then attach a to that: a + l’ = all’. Gender and the initial vowel dictate this contraction—alla aperta (feminine) or al aperto (missing the apostrophe) would be incorrect.

Could we use fuori instead of all’aperto? Are they interchangeable?

Yes, you can say I bambini giocano fuori dopo la scuola and it means the same thing. Fuori is a more general adverb for “outside,” while all’aperto specifically evokes “in the open air,” which can feel slightly more formal or descriptive.

Why is there no di after dopo in dopo la scuola?

When dopo is followed by a noun, it directly takes the article and noun: dopo la scuola (“after school”). You only add di after dopo when it’s followed by a pronoun (e.g. dopo di me = “after me”).

Can you drop the article and say dopo scuola instead of dopo la scuola?

In everyday speech you might hear dopo scuola, and it’s understood. However, the standard written form is dopo la scuola. This mirrors other time phrases like dopo cena (after dinner), where dropping the article is common in casual usage but less formal in writing.