Breakdown of Quel palazzo è molto alto.
essere
to be
molto
very
alto
tall / high
quello
that
il palazzo
the building
Questions & Answers about Quel palazzo è molto alto.
Why is the word for 'that' quel instead of quello here?
When used right before a noun, the demonstrative adjective quello copies the pattern of the word for 'the' (the definite article). Because 'the building' is il palazzo, you use the form of quello that matches il, which is quel. You would only use the full word quello if the noun normally takes lo (such as quello specchio for 'that mirror').
I thought palazzo meant 'palace'. Why is it translated as 'building'?
Palazzo is a classic 'false friend' for English speakers. While it can occasionally mean a historic palace or grand mansion, in modern everyday Italian it usually just refers to any large multi-story building, like an apartment block or an office building.
Why doesn't molto change its ending to match the masculine noun?
In this sentence, molto means 'very' and is describing how tall the building is. When molto is used to mean 'very', it acts as an adverb, and adverbs never change their endings. It only changes its ending to match the noun if it means 'a lot of' or 'many' (for example, molti palazzi for 'many buildings').
How would this sentence change if I wanted to say 'Those buildings are very tall'?
Learn Quel palazzo è molto alto 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