Breakdown of Vedo un fossato vicino al ponte.
io
I
vedere
to see
vicino a
near
il ponte
the bridge
il fossato
the moat
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Questions & Answers about Vedo un fossato vicino al ponte.
What does vedo mean?
Vedo is the first-person singular present tense of vedere (to see). It literally means “I see.”
Why is there no io (I) before the verb?
Italian is a pro-drop language: you usually omit subject pronouns like io because the verb ending -o in vedo already tells you the subject is “I.”
What does un fossato mean and why do we use un?
Un fossato means “a moat” (or “a ditch”).
- Fossato is a masculine noun.
- Un is the masculine singular indefinite article used before most consonant-initial nouns (e.g. un fossato).
What’s the difference between fossato, fosso, and fossa?
These three refer to excavations but differ in size and use:
- Fossato: a large trench or moat, often around a castle or bridge.
- Fosso: a smaller ditch, usually for drainage.
- Fossa: a pit or grave, feminine, and not used for moats/ditches.
Why is it vicino al ponte instead of vicino il ponte?
The adjective vicino (near) requires the preposition a when indicating location. Since il is the definite article for masculine singular nouns, a + il contracts to al. So vicino al ponte means “near the bridge.”
Could I say vicino a ponte without the article?
No. When you talk about a specific bridge, you need the definite article. Vicino a ponte sounds incomplete; use vicino al ponte.
Is vicino functioning as an adjective or an adverb here?
Here vicino acts as an adverbial expression of place (it tells you where you see the moat). It still takes the preposition a plus the article: vicino al ponte.
Can I move vicino al ponte to the front of the sentence?
Yes. Italian word order is flexible.
Example: Vicino al ponte vedo un fossato.
This emphasizes the location: “Near the bridge, I see a moat.”