Il tramonto sul lago è bellissimo.

The sunset over the lake is very beautiful.

Breakdown of Il tramonto sul lago è bellissimo.

• essere: to be
• il lago: the lake
• il tramonto: the sunset
• bellissimo: beautiful

Questions & Answers about Il tramonto sul lago è bellissimo.

Why is the article il used before tramonto, and what is the gender of tramonto?

Tramonto is a masculine noun in Italian, so it takes the masculine singular definite article il (equivalent to “the” in English).

What does sul mean, and why is it written as one word here?

Sul is the contraction of su (meaning “on” or “over”) + il (the masculine singular “the”). Su + il becomes sul, and it means “on the” or “over the.”

Why do we say sul lago instead of something like “by the lake”?

In Italian, su with the definite article often conveys location on or above a surface or area. So sul lago literally means “on the lake” or “over the lake.” English speakers often render it as “at the lake,” but the Italian phrasing uses su + article.

How do you pronounce tramonto, and where does the stress fall?

Tramonto is pronounced /tra-ˈmon-to/, with the stress on the second syllable mon.

Why is bellissimo used instead of bello, and what does the suffix -issimo indicate?