Il rullo è vicino al rivestimento.

The roller is near the covering.

Breakdown of Il rullo è vicino al rivestimento.

• essere: to be
• vicino a: near
• il rullo: the paint roller
• il rivestimento: the wall or floor covering

Questions & Answers about Il rullo è vicino al rivestimento.

Why does the sentence start with Il before rullo?

Il is the masculine singular definite article, meaning the.

So:

• il rullo = the roller

In Italian, you usually need the article with a singular countable noun like this, just as in English here.

A few useful points:

• rullo is masculine singular
• that is why the article is il
• if the noun were feminine, you would use a different article, such as la

For example:

• il rullo = the roller
• la macchina = the machine

Why is it è and not e?

È with an accent is the verb is.

So:

• è = is

By contrast:

• e without an accent = and

This is a very important difference in Italian spelling.

So:

• Il rullo è vicino... = The roller is near...
• il rullo e il motore = the roller and the motor

The accent helps distinguish two completely different words.

What is the role of vicino in this sentence?