Questions & Answers about I tuoi colleghi sono occupati?
Why do we need the article i in i tuoi colleghi?
In Italian, possessive adjectives like tuoi (your) almost always need a definite article before them. Since colleghi is masculine plural, we use the masculine plural article i together with the masculine plural possessive tuoi.
The singular of colleghi is collega, which ends in the letter a. Is it a feminine noun?
Collega is a tricky noun! In the singular, it ends in the letter a for both males (il collega) and females (la collega). In the plural, the masculine form is i colleghi (used for male or mixed groups) and the feminine is le colleghe (for all-female groups). The letter h in colleghi is added to keep the hard c pronunciation.
Why does occupati end in the letter i?
Adjectives must match the gender and number of the noun they describe. Because i tuoi colleghi is masculine plural, the base adjective occupato (busy) changes its ending to the masculine plural to become occupati.
How do we know this is a question if the word order is the same as a statement?
Unlike English, Italian does not require changing the word order or adding helper words to make a question. You simply use the normal statement order, add a question mark, and raise your pitch at the end of the sentence when speaking.