La nave è al molo.

The ship is at the pier.

Breakdown of La nave è al molo.

• essere: to be
• a: at
• la nave: the ship
• il molo: the pier

Questions & Answers about La nave è al molo.

Why is the definite article la used before nave?

Nave is a feminine singular noun in Italian, so it takes the feminine singular article la.

What’s the difference between nave and barca?

• Nave usually refers to a larger seagoing vessel (like a ship).
• Barca is a smaller boat, often used for shorter trips or in rivers/lakes.

What does è mean, and how is it different from e?

• è (with accent) is the third-person singular of essere (to be), meaning is.
• e (without accent) means and.

What is al in al molo?

Al is the contraction of the preposition a (to/at) + the masculine singular article il, so al = a + il.

Why is it al and not alla?