Log inSign up

Lo zio è giovane e simpatico.

Lo zio è giovane e simpatico.
The uncle is young and nice.
From Lesson 11:Special singular articles (lo, l')·Italian

Breakdown of Lo zio è giovane e simpatico.

essere
to be
e
and
giovane
young
simpatico
nice
lo zio
the uncle

Questions & Answers about Lo zio è giovane e simpatico.

Why do we use lo instead of il in this sentence?
Zio is a masculine noun that starts with the letter z. In Italian, masculine words starting with z (as well as s followed by a consonant, like studente) take the special article lo instead of the usual il.
Why does giovane end in -e if zio is masculine? Shouldn't it end in -o?
Not all adjectives change to -o for masculine nouns. While simpatico is a standard adjective that ends in -o for masculine and -a for feminine, giovane belongs to a different group. Adjectives in this group always end in -e for both masculine and feminine singular words.
Does simpatico mean sympathetic?
No, this is a very common false friend! Simpatico means nice, friendly, or likable. If you want to describe someone as sympathetic or understanding, you would use a different word, like comprensivo.
How do you pronounce the z in zio?
The letter z in zio is pronounced with a dz sound, similar to the ds in the English word pads. This strong sound is exactly why Italian uses the smoother article lo before it, making the two words flow together easily!

Learn Lo zio è giovane e simpatico 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 →