Breakdown of Un desiderio diventa un sogno.
Questions & Answers about Un desiderio diventa un sogno.
What is the function of the indefinite article un in Un desiderio diventa un sogno?
Un is the masculine singular indefinite article in Italian, equivalent to a or an in English. It goes before countable, masculine, singular nouns:
• un desiderio = a wish
• un sogno = a dream
Here each noun takes its own un to express “a wish becomes a dream” in general.
Why is diventa in the third person singular form?
The subject un desiderio (a single wish) is third person singular. Italian verbs agree with their subject in person and number. The present indicative of diventare is:
(io) divento
(tu) diventi
(lui/lei/un desiderio) diventa
(noi) diventiamo
(voi) diventate
(loro) diventano
Hence we use diventa here.
Why doesn’t the sentence need a preposition like into or in before un sogno?
Italian diventare directly takes the new state with no preposition:
diventare + noun → change of state
So you simply say diventa un sogno, never diventa in un sogno or diventa into un sogno.
What’s the difference between desiderio and sogno?
• desiderio = a wish or desire (voglio qualcosa)
• sogno = a dream, either an aspiration or what you see while sleeping
So un desiderio is the initial yearning; when it grows into an aspiration it becomes un sogno.
Can I use definite articles il, lo, or la instead of un here?
Yes, but the meaning changes:
• Il desiderio diventa il sogno = the specific desire becomes the specific dream
• Un desiderio diventa un sogno = a wish becomes a dream (in general)
How would this sentence change in other tenses?
Just conjugate diventare:
• Past (passato prossimo): Un desiderio è diventato un sogno.
• Imperfect: Un desiderio diventava un sogno.
• Future: Un desiderio diventerà un sogno.
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