Breakdown of Quell'uccello là è nero.
essere
to be
nero
black
quello
that
là
there (far away)
l'uccello
the bird (m)
Questions & Answers about Quell'uccello là è nero.
Why is it quell' instead of quello?
The word quello (that) changes its ending depending on the noun that follows it, following the exact same rules as the Italian words for "the". Because uccello is a masculine noun starting with a vowel, you would say l'uccello for "the bird". Therefore, "that bird" drops the final vowel and becomes quell'uccello.
If quell' already means "that", why do we add là in this sentence?
Why does là have an accent mark?
The accent mark tells you to stress that vowel when speaking, but more importantly, it tells this written word apart from la. Without the accent, la means "the" (for feminine nouns) or "her". With the accent, là means "there".
Would quell' change if we were talking about a feminine animal?
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