Learn Italian: L'albergo ha diciannove stanze libere. - The hotel has nineteen free rooms.

L'albergo ha diciannove stanze libere.

The hotel has nineteen free rooms.

Breakdown of L'albergo ha diciannove stanze libere.

Questions & Answers about L'albergo ha diciannove stanze libere.

How do you form the number diciannove?

It comes from combining dieci (ten) and nove (nine). Notice that when they combine to make 19, the letter n is doubled to make diciannove. In Italian, numbers from 11 to 16 end in -dici (like undici for 11), but 17, 18, and 19 start with dici-.

Does the number diciannove change depending on the gender of the noun?

No. In Italian, cardinal numbers (except for uno) do not change to match the noun. Whether you are counting feminine rooms (diciannove stanze) or masculine books (diciannove libri), the number stays exactly the same.

Why does libere end in an "e"?

In Italian, adjectives must match the noun they describe. The singular feminine word for room is stanza, so its plural is stanze. The adjective libera (free) must also change to its feminine plural form, which becomes libere.

Why is it L'albergo instead of Il albergo?

Albergo is a masculine singular noun that starts with a vowel. Whenever a masculine singular word starts with a vowel, the definite article meaning "the" becomes l' instead of il to make it flow better when speaking.