Learn Hardcore Italian: Un gommone azzurro parte all’alba verso l’isola. - A blue rubber boat sets off at dawn toward the island.

In Italian the indefinite article un is used before most masculine singular nouns beginning with a consonant or a vowel. Uno is reserved for masculine nouns starting with s + consonant, z, ps, gn, pn, x, y, or certain vowel clusters. Since gommone starts with a simple “g,” you say un gommone, not uno gommone.

Why is the adjective azzurro placed after gommone, and can it be moved before?

Adjectives in Italian normally follow the noun, so gommone azzurro is the standard order. You can place some adjectives (especially colors) before the noun for stylistic emphasis—un azzurro gommone—but that sounds more poetic or unusual.

What’s the difference between azzurro and blu? Can I use blu instead?

Both mean “blue,” but azzurro usually denotes a light or sky-blue shade, whereas blu covers the general color (often darker). You could say un gommone blu, but it shifts the nuance from “sky-blue boat” to simply “blue boat.”

Why is there an apostrophe in all’alba?

All’alba is a contraction of a + l’ + alba. The preposition a (at) combines with the elided definite article l’ (short for la before a vowel) plus alba (dawn), yielding all’alba (“at dawn”).

Why does the sentence use the present tense parte instead of a future form like partirà?

Italian often employs the simple present to describe scheduled or imminent events (similar to English “the train leaves at 7”). Parte all’alba means “it leaves at dawn.” You could use partirà all’alba to stress “will leave,” but the present is perfectly natural here.

What is the function of verso in verso l’isola, and how does it differ from per?

Verso means “toward” and indicates direction or approximate destination. Per can also mean “for/to,” but it focuses more on the endpoint or purpose. Saying verso l’isola emphasizes the direction in which the boat heads; per l’isola would underline the island as the journey’s goal.

Why do we say l’isola and not just isola? Why the apostrophe?

In Italian common nouns almost always require a definite article. La isola becomes l’isola because isola starts with a vowel, and la elides to l’ with an apostrophe. You cannot drop the article here, since “isola” isn’t a proper name but a generic noun.

How is partire conjugated to get parte, and why is it third person singular?

Partire is a regular -ire verb. Its present indicative is:
io parto
tu parti
lui/lei parte
noi partiamo
voi partite
loro partono
Here parte agrees with the singular subject un gommone (“a boat”), so it’s third person singular.

What kind of phrase is all’alba verso l’isola, and can you move its position in the sentence?

All’alba verso l’isola is an adverbial group: all’alba (time, “at dawn”) and verso l’isola (direction, “toward the island”). Italian allows flexibility in placing adverbials—e.g., Verso l’isola un gommone azzurro parte all’alba or All’alba, un gommone azzurro parte verso l’isola—but the given order is the most direct and neutral.