Breakdown of Il profumo del gelsomino riempie il giardino ogni mattina.
di
of
ogni
every
la mattina
the morning
il giardino
the garden
riempire
to fill
il profumo
the scent
il gelsomino
the jasmine
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Questions & Answers about Il profumo del gelsomino riempie il giardino ogni mattina.
Why is the article il used before profumo?
Profumo is a masculine singular noun. In Italian, masculine singular nouns that begin with a consonant take the definite article il.
What does del stand for in del gelsomino?
Del is a contraction of the preposition di (of) + the definite article il (the). So del gelsomino literally means “of the jasmine.”
Why can’t I say just di gelsomino without the article?
When you’re talking about something belonging to or coming from a specific thing, Italian usually uses the definite article. Hence del gelsomino, not di gelsomino.
Why is there no preposition before riempie? Should it be riempie di?
The verb riempire (to fill) is transitive, so it takes a direct object without any preposition: riempie il giardino (“fills the garden”). You’d use di only if you wanted to add “with,” as in riempire il giardino di fiori (“to fill the garden with flowers”).
What tense is riempie, and why is it used?
Riempie is the third person singular present indicative of riempire. Italian often uses the simple present to express habitual actions—here, a regular occurrence every morning.
What does ogni mean, and why is mattina singular?
Ogni means “every.” In Italian, ogni is always followed by a singular noun, so you say ogni mattina (“every morning”), never ogni mattine.
Can I use mattino instead of mattina?
Yes. Ogni mattino is perfectly correct. Both mattino and mattina mean “morning,” though mattina is more frequently used in daily conversation.
Why is giardino singular? Could I make it plural?
The sentence refers to one specific garden. If you meant “the scent of jasmine fills the gardens every morning,” you would pluralize both article and noun:
Il profumo del gelsomino riempie i giardini ogni mattina.