Learn Italian: Uno studente è pronto.

Uno studente è pronto.

A student is ready.

Breakdown of Uno studente è pronto.

a / an (masculine special)

Questions & Answers about Uno studente è pronto.

Why is it uno instead of un?

Because studente is a masculine word that starts with an 's' followed by another consonant ('t'). In Italian, you must use uno instead of un for these words to make pronunciation smoother.

Studente ends in 'e'. Why does it take a masculine article?

While many masculine words end in 'o', some end in 'e' (and these can be either masculine or feminine). Studente is a masculine word, so it uses the masculine article uno. (The feminine word for student is studentessa).

Why does pronto end in 'o' when the noun it describes ends in 'e'?

Adjectives change their endings to match the gender and number of the noun, not its exact spelling. Because studente is masculine and singular, the adjective pronto (ready) takes the standard masculine singular ending -o.

Why is there an accent mark on è?

The accent changes the meaning of the word. With the accent, è means 'is' (from the verb for 'to be'). Without it, e just means 'and'.