Learn Italian: È un'isola piccola? - Is it a small island?

Isola is a feminine noun that starts with a vowel. The standard feminine word for "a" or "an" is una. However, when the next word starts with a vowel, the 'a' at the end of una is dropped and replaced with an apostrophe to make it flow better when spoken. So, una isola becomes un'isola. Note that the masculine article un never takes an apostrophe!

Where is the word for "it" in this sentence?

In Italian, subject pronouns like "I", "you", or "it" are usually dropped because the verb itself tells you who or what the subject is. The verb è means "he is", "she is", or "it is". When you add a question mark, it simply flips to "is it?" without needing a separate word for "it".

Why does the word for "small" (piccola) come after the word for "island" (isola)?

In English, descriptive adjectives come before the noun (small island). In Italian, descriptive adjectives like piccola usually come after the noun they are describing. That is why we say un'isola piccola (an island small).

Why does piccola end in 'a'?