Word
Il raffreddore è fastidioso.
Meaning
A cold is annoying.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
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Questions & Answers about Il raffreddore è fastidioso.
Why is the definite article Il used? Why not just say Raffreddore è fastidioso or Un raffreddore è fastidioso?
Italian normally requires an article with singular countable nouns. To talk about a thing in general (the class as a whole), Italian prefers the definite article: Il raffreddore è fastidioso = colds are annoying (in general). Bare Raffreddore è fastidioso is ungrammatical. Un raffreddore è fastidioso would refer to an individual case (“a cold is annoying”) and sounds odd as a general statement unless you’re contrasting it with something else.
Could I also say I raffreddori sono fastidiosi?
Yes. I raffreddori sono fastidiosi is grammatical and also makes a general statement. Italian often uses the singular with a definite article to generalize, but the plural works too. The singular feels slightly more proverbial/encyclopedic; the plural can sound a bit more concrete.
What gender is raffreddore, and how do I know?
Why is the adjective fastidioso masculine and singular here?