I bambini giocano all’aperto dopo la scuola.

The children play outdoors after school.

Breakdown of I bambini giocano all’aperto dopo la scuola.

• il bambino: the child
• giocare: to play
• dopo: after
• la scuola: the school

Questions & Answers about I bambini giocano all’aperto dopo la scuola.

Why is there a definite article i before bambini? Why don’t we just say bambini?

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?