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La sala è vuota.

La sala è vuota.
The hall is empty.
FromLesson 54inHardcore Italian

Breakdown of La sala è vuota.

essere
to be
vuoto
empty
la sala
the hall

Questions & Answers about La sala è vuota.

Why is la used instead of il as the definite article in La sala è vuota?
In Italian every noun has a gender. Sala ends in -a, a typical feminine ending, so it takes the feminine singular article la. The masculine singular article would be il (e.g. il libro).
Why is the adjective vuota in its feminine form? Would vuoto be incorrect?
Italian adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Since sala is feminine singular, the adjective also becomes feminine singular: vuota. Vuoto is the masculine singular form and would not match sala.
Is vuota a past participle or an adjective here?
While vuota derives from the past participle of the verb vuotare (“to empty”), in this sentence it functions purely as an adjective (a predicate adjective) describing the state of the room, not an action.
Why is the verb essere (è) used here instead of avere?
In Italian, states or conditions (like being empty) are expressed with essere. Avere denotes possession. Since emptiness is a state of the room—not something the room “has”—you say La sala è vuota, not La sala ha vuota.
What is the difference between sala and stanza?

Both words mean “room,” but:

  • Sala usually refers to a larger or more public room (e.g. living room, banquet hall).
  • Stanza is a general term for any room (bedroom, office, etc.).
Could we place the adjective before the noun, as in la vuota sala?
Yes, it’s grammatically possible, but in everyday Italian most descriptive adjectives follow the noun. Placing vuota before sala gives a poetic or emphatic nuance.
How do you pronounce La sala è vuota?

Phonetic guide:
• LAH SAH-lah EH VWOH-tah
In IPA: /ˈsa.la ɛ ˈvwɔ.ta/
Note the open è ([ɛ]) and the consonant cluster vw at the start of vuota.

Why isn’t there an apostrophe before sala (i.e. why not l’​sala)?
Elision with l’ occurs only when la or lo precedes a word starting with a vowel (e.g. l’amica, l’ora). Sala begins with s, a consonant, so no elision: it stays la sala.
How do you turn La sala è vuota into “The rooms are empty” and “The room is not empty”?

• Plural: Le sale sono vuote
– sal​a → sale, la → le, è → sono, vuota → vuote.
• Negation: La sala non è vuota
– Simply insert non before the verb to negate.

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