Learn Italian: Questa lettera ha quaranta parole.

Questa lettera ha quaranta parole.

This letter has forty words.

Breakdown of Questa lettera ha quaranta parole.

Questions & Answers about Questa lettera ha quaranta parole.

Does the number quaranta change its ending to match the plural noun parole?

No, it doesn't. In Italian, cardinal numbers from two upwards are invariable. This means their endings never change to match the gender or number of the noun they describe. So it is always quaranta, never "quarante", even though parole is a feminine plural noun.

Why do we use Questa instead of Questo here?

Questa means "this" and it acts like an adjective, meaning it has to match the noun it describes. Because lettera (letter) is a feminine singular noun, we use the feminine singular form questa.

What is the singular form of parole?

The singular form is parola (word). Since it is a regular feminine noun ending in -a, it changes its ending to -e in the plural to become parole.

Why is there an "h" in ha if it is completely silent?

In Italian, the letter "h" is always silent. We write ha (which means "has", from the verb avere) with an "h" to distinguish it in writing from the word a (meaning "to" or "at"), which sounds exactly the same.