Breakdown of Voi siete persone occupate, ma noi siamo liberi.
Questions & Answers about Voi siete persone occupate, ma noi siamo liberi.
How do I know the 'You' in this sentence is plural?
The Italian word voi specifically means 'you' when speaking to more than one person, like 'you all' or 'you guys'. The verb siete is also the specific 'you plural' form of essere (to be). Can I drop the pronouns and just say 'Siete persone occupate, ma siamo liberi'?
Yes! In Italian, the verb forms siete and siamo already tell us who the subject is, so you do not strictly need voi and noi. Including them here emphasizes the contrast between 'you' and 'us'. Why does the word for busy end in '-e' (occupate)?
Adjectives in Italian must match the noun they describe. The word persone (people) is a feminine plural noun, even if the group of people includes men. Therefore, the adjective occupato (busy) changes its ending to -e to match, becoming occupate. Since occupate ends in '-e', why does liberi (free) end in '-i'?
Liberi describes the pronoun noi (we). The -i ending is used for masculine plural adjectives, which Italian uses for all-male groups or mixed groups of males and females. If 'we' were a group of only women, the sentence would use the feminine plural ending: noi siamo libere. Learn Voi siete persone occupate, ma noi siamo liberi and more in Italian
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