Learn Italian: Gli studenti hanno sete. - The students are thirsty.

Gli studenti hanno sete.

The students are thirsty.

Breakdown of Gli studenti hanno sete.

Questions & Answers about Gli studenti hanno sete.

Why use hanno (have) instead of a verb meaning "are"?

In Italian, you use the verb avere (to have) for many physical feelings where English uses "to be." So instead of saying "The students are thirsty," Italians say "The students have thirst" (hanno sete). You will also see this with hunger (fame) and cold (freddo).

Is the "h" in hanno pronounced?

No, the letter "h" is always silent at the beginning of Italian words. You pronounce hanno exactly as if it started with an "a". The silent "h" is just there to help you tell the difference in writing between hanno (they have) and anno (year).

Why is the word for "the" Gli instead of I?

Both gli and i are masculine plural words for "the." You must use gli when the following word starts with an "s" followed by a consonant (like the "st" in studenti), a "z", or a vowel. For most other consonants, you would use i.

Why doesn't sete change to a plural ending since there are multiple students?

Because sete is a noun meaning "thirst," not an adjective describing the students. Just like in English you wouldn't say "they have thirsts," in Italian the word sete stays singular no matter how many people are experiencing it.