La penalità cambia il punteggio.

Because Italian nouns usually take an article.

• la = the for a feminine singular noun
• il = the for a masculine singular noun

Here:

• la penalità = the penalty
• il punteggio = the score

So the articles match the gender and number of the nouns.

The accent mark is part of the correct spelling: penalità.

In Italian, a written accent often appears when the stress falls on the final syllable. So penalità is stressed on the last syllable: pe-na-li-TÀ.

This kind of noun is common in Italian, and many nouns ending in -tà are:

• feminine
• the same in singular and plural

So:

• la penalità = the penalty
• le penalità = the penalties

It is singular.

You can tell because it uses the singular article la.

• la penalità = the penalty
• le penalità = the penalties

Even though the noun itself does not change form, the article shows whether it is singular or plural.

Because cambia is a conjugated verb, while cambiare is the infinitive.

• cambiare = to change
• cambia = changes / is changing

In a normal sentence, Italian usually needs the conjugated form:

• La penalità cambia il punteggio. = The penalty changes the score.

Here, cambia is:

• 3rd person singular
• present tense

because the subject la penalità is singular.

The subject is la penalità.

A simple way to see it:

• La penalità = the thing doing the action
• cambia = changes
• il punteggio = the thing being changed

So:

• subject: la penalità
• verb: cambia
• direct object: il punteggio

This is the same basic pattern as in English: The penalty changes the score.

Yes. This is a very normal word order in Italian:

subject + verb + object

• La penalità = subject
• cambia = verb
• il punteggio = object

Italian can sometimes change word order for emphasis, but this sentence is in the most straightforward, neutral order.

Literally, cambia means changes.

Depending on context, English might translate the sentence more naturally as:

• The penalty changes the score
• The penalty alters the score
• The penalty affects the score

But the core meaning of cambiare is to change.

In this sentence, il punteggio is the normal choice because it refers to the score as a specific thing.

Italian often uses articles more regularly than English does. So where English might sometimes omit an article, Italian may still include one.

Here:

• il punteggio sounds complete and natural
• cambia punteggio would usually not sound right in this meaning

So La penalità cambia il punteggio is the standard phrasing.

Punteggio usually means score, points total, or rating/result based on points, depending on context.

For example, it can be used in:

• sports
• games
• tests
• rankings
• evaluations

In this sentence, it most naturally means the score.

It is pronounced roughly CHAHM-byah.

A few useful points:

• c before a sounds like a hard k sound, so ca = ka
• gi here helps form the bya sound in -bia
• stress is on the first syllable: CAM-bia

So cambia sounds roughly like KAHM-byah.

Yes. Penalità can refer to a penalty in sports, but the exact nuance depends on context.

It can mean:

• a punishment or sanction
• a penalty in a game or competition
• a deduction or disadvantage

So in a sports context, La penalità cambia il punteggio could mean that a penalty affects the score.

Because not all Italian nouns show gender through a typical ending like -o or -a.

Many nouns ending in -tà are feminine, even though they do not end in -a. For example:

• la città = the city
• la libertà = freedom
• la penalità = the penalty

So with words like this, learners often need to remember the gender together with the noun. The article helps:

• la penalità tells you it is feminine

Grammatically, yes, the Italian present tense can sometimes correspond to English is changing.

However, the most natural translation here is usually:

• The penalty changes the score

Italian present tense often covers both:

• simple present: changes
• present progressive in some contexts: is changing

Without extra context, changes is the safest translation here.