ELONIO
Log inSign up

Il quaderno e la penna sono lì, ma lo zaino è pieno.

Il quaderno e la penna sono lì, ma lo zaino è pieno.
The notebook and the pen are there, but the backpack is full.
From Lesson 11:Special singular articles (lo, l')·Italian

Breakdown of Il quaderno e la penna sono lì, ma lo zaino è pieno.

essere
to be
e
and
ma
but
lì
there
pieno
full
la penna
the pen
il quaderno
the notebook
lo zaino
the backpack

Questions & Answers about Il quaderno e la penna sono lì, ma lo zaino è pieno.

Why do we say lo zaino for "the backpack" instead of il zaino?
In Italian, masculine words usually use the article il for "the" (like il quaderno in this sentence). However, when a masculine word starts with a z, an s followed by a consonant (like st or sp), or a few other special sounds, it uses lo instead. Since zaino starts with z, it becomes lo zaino.
Why are there two different words for "to be" (sono and è) in the same sentence?
This happens because the subject changes! The first part is about two things: il quaderno e la penna. Because that is plural (they), we use sono (are). The second part is only about one thing: lo zaino. Because that is singular (it), we use è (is).
Why does the word lì have an accent mark?
The accent mark on lì (meaning "there") shows where your voice should put the stress. It is also very important for spelling because it tells this word apart from li, a completely different word that means "them".
Why does pieno end in an "o"? Would it change if the pen was full?
Yes, it would change! Adjectives in Italian must match the gender of the noun they describe. Because lo zaino is a masculine noun, the adjective takes the masculine ending to become pieno. If you were talking about the feminine la penna being full of ink, it would change to match it as piena.

Learn Il quaderno e la penna sono lì, ma lo zaino è pieno and more in Italian

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Italian →