Questo fatto dimostra la differenza.

Questo means this. It is a demonstrative adjective, because it comes before a noun: questo fatto = this fact.

In Italian, questo changes form depending on the noun:

• questo fatto = this fact
• questa differenza = this difference
• questi fatti = these facts
• queste differenze = these differences

Here it is questo because fatto is masculine singular.

Because fatto is a masculine singular noun.

Italian adjectives and determiners must agree with the noun they describe in gender and number:

• masculine singular → questo
• feminine singular → questa
• masculine plural → questi
• feminine plural → queste

So:

• questo fatto ✔
• questa fatto ✘

Here, fatto is a noun, meaning fact.

It comes from the verb fare (to do / to make), and it can also be the past participle of that verb. But in this sentence, it is clearly being used as a noun because it follows questo:

• questo fatto = this fact

So in this context, think of fatto simply as a vocabulary item meaning fact.

Dimostrare is the infinitive form, meaning to demonstrate / to show / to prove.

In the sentence, the verb must be conjugated to match the subject:

• questo fatto = the subject
• dimostra = demonstrates / shows / proves

Dimostra is the third-person singular present tense form of dimostrare.

A quick pattern:

• io dimostro = I demonstrate
• tu dimostri = you demonstrate
• lui/lei dimostra = he/she demonstrates
• questo fatto dimostra = this fact demonstrates

Italian usually does not need subject pronouns when the subject is already clear.

In this sentence, the subject is explicitly stated as questo fatto, so there is no need to add a pronoun.

Italian often avoids unnecessary pronouns:

• Questo fatto dimostra la differenza.
• Literally: This fact demonstrates the difference.

Adding a subject pronoun would usually sound unnatural or unnecessary here.

Italian often uses the definite article more frequently than English does.

So where English might sometimes say difference, Italian often prefers la differenza.

Here, la differenza means the difference, and it sounds natural because the speaker is referring to a specific difference, or to the difference in a general but identifiable sense.

Compare:

• vedo la differenza = I see the difference
• spiega la differenza = he explains the difference
• dimostra la differenza = it shows/proves the difference

Because it is the thing being demonstrated.

Sentence structure:

• Questo fatto = subject
• dimostra = verb
• la differenza = direct object

So the meaning is:

• This fact → does the action
• demonstrates → action
• the difference → receives the action

Italian word order is often similar to English here: subject + verb + object.

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly.

• Questo fatto dimostra la differenza = This fact shows the difference
• Questo dimostra la differenza = This shows the difference

Without fatto, questo becomes a pronoun instead of an adjective. It no longer describes a noun; it stands alone and means this.

So both are correct, but they are structured differently:

• questo fatto = adjective + noun
• questo alone = pronoun

Yes. Dimostrare can mean to show, to demonstrate, or to prove, depending on context.

In a sentence like this, several English translations may work:

• This fact shows the difference
• This fact demonstrates the difference
• This fact proves the difference

The best choice depends on the tone and context:

• show = more general, common
• demonstrate = a bit more formal
• prove = stronger, more definite

Differenza is pronounced approximately deeff-eh-REN-tsa.

A few points:

• di- sounds like dee
• ff is a real double consonant in Italian, so it is held a bit longer than a single f
• -renza has the stress on ren
• z in -enza is pronounced like ts

So the word has a crisp, clearly pronounced middle: dif-fe-REN-za

Double consonants matter in Italian, so it is good to notice the ff.

Italian word order is more flexible than English, so variations are possible, especially for emphasis.

The neutral, standard order is:

• Questo fatto dimostra la differenza.

A sentence like:

• La differenza la dimostra questo fatto.

is possible, but it is more marked and emphatic. It highlights la differenza first, almost like:

• The difference—this fact shows it.

So for learners, the original version is the safest and most natural default.

If both nouns become plural, the sentence changes like this:

• Questi fatti dimostrano le differenze.
• These facts demonstrate the differences.

Notice the agreement changes:

• questo → questi
• fatto → fatti
• dimostra → dimostrano
• la → le
• differenza → differenze

This is a good example of how several words in an Italian sentence change together for number agreement.