Breakdown of Stasera gioco a scacchi con mio fratello.
io
I
con
with
mio
my
il fratello
the brother
stasera
this evening
giocare a scacchi
to play chess
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Questions & Answers about Stasera gioco a scacchi con mio fratello.
Why do we say gioco a scacchi with a before scacchi, instead of giocare scacchi?
In Italian the verb giocare always takes the preposition a before the name of a sport or a board game. You never drop the a in this construction, so you have giocare a calcio, giocare a tennis, giocare a scacchi, etc.
Why is there no article before scacchi in gioco a scacchi?
With the structure giocare a + game name, Italian normally omits the definite article. It’s an idiomatic pattern: compare giocare a carte, giocare a dama. You would only insert an article if you specify the game further or add an adjective (e.g. giocare ai vecchi scacchi russi, where a + i contracts to ai).
Why doesn’t mio fratello have an article, like il mio fratello?
With singular, unmodified family members Italian usually drops the definite article before the possessive adjective: mio fratello, mia madre, tuo zio, etc. You include the article in the plural (e.g. i miei fratelli, le mie sorelle) and with non-family nouns (e.g. il mio amico).
Can I use questa sera instead of stasera?
Yes. stasera is simply a contraction of questa sera. Both mean “this evening” and are interchangeable. Stasera is more colloquial and common in everyday speech.
Why is the verb gioco in the present tense talking about something happening tonight?
Italian often uses the simple present to express a near-future action, especially when accompanied by time indicators like stasera, domani, domani mattina, etc. So stasera gioco means “I’m playing tonight” or “Tonight I will play.”
Where is the subject in Stasera gioco a scacchi con mio fratello?
The subject pronoun io (I) is omitted because the verb ending -o already indicates the first-person singular. In Italian it’s completely normal to leave out the subject when the conjugation makes it clear.
Why is con used before mio fratello, and not da mio fratello?
The preposition con means “with” and signals that you are playing together with your brother. If you said da mio fratello, it would mean “at my brother’s house/ place.” To express “together with someone” you always use giocare con qualcuno.
Could I say giocare con scacchi and still mean playing chess?
No. When referring to playing a specific game, Italian requires giocare a + the game’s name. The structure giocare con is used when you play with something as a toy or engage someone in play (e.g. giocare con i bambini, giocare con le costruzioni), but not to name the game itself.
Can I move con mio fratello earlier in the sentence, like Stasera con mio fratello gioco a scacchi?
Yes. Italian word order is quite flexible. Stasera con mio fratello gioco a scacchi is perfectly grammatical and puts more emphasis on playing with your brother. The original order is simply the most neutral.
How is scacchi pronounced?
Scacchi is pronounced [ˈskakki]. The sc before a is [sk], the ch before i is [k], and the double cc indicates a slightly longer [k] sound.