ELONIO
Log inSign up

Durante la tempesta il tetto ha perso alcune tegole.

Durante la tempesta il tetto ha perso alcune tegole.
During the storm the roof lost some tiles.
FromLesson 51inHardcore Italian

Breakdown of Durante la tempesta il tetto ha perso alcune tegole.

il tetto
the roof
durante
during
alcune
some
perdere
to lose
la tempesta
the storm
la tegola
the tile

Questions & Answers about Durante la tempesta il tetto ha perso alcune tegole.

Why do we use durante here instead of mentre?
Durante is a preposition that must be followed by a noun (durante la tempesta = “during the storm”). Mentre is a conjunction that introduces a subordinate clause with a verb (Mentre imperversava la tempesta, il tetto ha perso alcune tegole = “While the storm was raging, the roof lost some tiles”).
Why is there a definite article before tempesta (“la tempesta”)?
In Italian you normally use the definite article with weather events introduced by durante, e.g. durante la pioggia, durante il vento, durante la tempesta. Omitting it (durante tempesta) would sound odd or poetic.
Why is the verb in the passato prossimo (ha perso) rather than the imperfetto?
The passato prossimo describes a specific, completed action in the past (“the roof lost some tiles”). The imperfetto (il tetto perdeva alcune tegole) would suggest an ongoing or habitual loss of tiles, which isn’t what happened here.
Why does perdere take avere as its auxiliary verb and not essere?
Perdere is a transitive verb (it takes a direct object: alcune tegole), so it forms the compound tenses with avere. You only use essere with verbs of movement or change of state that don’t take a direct object.
Could I say Il tetto ha perso delle tegole instead of alcune tegole? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say ha perso delle tegole.

What about using qualche tegola? Is that possible?

Yes: Il tetto ha perso qualche tegola.
Qualche is used only in the singular and means “some/a few.” It’s followed by a singular noun (tegola) but implies more than one.

Can I reorder the sentence and say Il tetto ha perso alcune tegole durante la tempesta?
Absolutely. Italian allows flexibility in placing adverbial phrases. Starting with Durante la tempesta emphasizes the time; putting it at the end makes the focus more on il tetto and le tegole.
Why does Italian say il tetto ha perso le tegole (“the roof lost the tiles”) rather than something like “the tiles fell off”?
Italian often personifies the host object with perdere (“to lose”) when parts detach: perdere i denti (to lose teeth), perdere le chiavi (to lose keys). You can also say le tegole sono cadute (“the tiles fell”), but that focuses on the tiles’ action rather than the roof’s condition.
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“What's the best way to learn Italian grammar?”
Italian grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning Italian

Master Italian — from Durante la tempesta il tetto ha perso alcune tegole to fluency

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • ✓Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • ✓Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions
Open the Italiancourse →