Learn Italian: Loro hanno ragione, il ristorante è chiuso. - They are right, the restaurant is closed.

Loro hanno ragione, il ristorante è chiuso.

They are right, the restaurant is closed.

Breakdown of Loro hanno ragione, il ristorante è chiuso.

Questions & Answers about Loro hanno ragione, il ristorante è chiuso.

Why does the sentence use hanno (they have) instead of a word for 'they are'?

In Italian, you do not say that someone 'is' right. Instead, you use the verb avere (to have) plus ragione (reason). So, hanno ragione literally means 'they have reason', which is the standard Italian way to say 'they are right'.

Is the 'h' in hanno pronounced?

No, the letter 'h' is always silent in Italian. It is written in forms of avere like ho, ha, and hanno just to distinguish them in writing from other common words that sound exactly the same, such as anno (which means 'year').

Do I have to include the subject pronoun Loro (they) here?

No, you can safely drop it and just say Hanno ragione, il ristorante è chiuso. Because hanno only goes with 'they', the subject is already obvious. Italians usually only include words like Loro for emphasis, like saying 'They are right'.

Why does chiuso end in an -o?