Question 1

How do we know this is a question if the word order is exactly the same as a regular statement?

Accepted Answer

In Italian, you do not need to rearrange words or add helper words like 'do' or 'is' to make a yes/no question. You just keep the normal statement word order (Anche il padre è alto) and raise the pitch of your voice at the end. In writing, only the question mark shows it is a question!

Question 2

Why is anche at the beginning of the sentence instead of at the end like the English word 'too'?

Accepted Answer

In Italian, anche usually goes right before the word it emphasizes. Because we are asking if the father is tall too (perhaps comparing him to a child or mother who is tall), anche goes directly in front of il padre.

Question 3

Why do we use il before padre?

Accepted Answer

Italian almost always requires a definite article (words like il or la) before a noun. While in English someone might casually ask 'Is father tall too?', Italian expects the article here to say 'Is the father tall too?'.

Question 4

If we asked about the mother instead, how would the sentence change?

Accepted Answer

You would change the noun and the article to la madre, but you also have to change the ending of the adjective! Because madre is feminine, the masculine adjective alto must change to its feminine form alta. The new question becomes: Anche la madre è alta?

Anche il padre è alto?

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