Breakdown of Perché non viene alla partita?
non
not
perché
because, why
alla
to the / at the (feminine singular)
venire
to come
la partita
the match
Questions & Answers about Perché non viene alla partita?
The translation says "he is coming", but where is the word for "he" in the Italian sentence?
In Italian, you usually leave out subject pronouns like "he" (lui) or "she" (lei) because the verb's ending tells you who is doing the action. Viene is the "he/she/it" form of the irregular verb venire (to come). Without context, this could also easily mean "Why isn't she coming?"
Why does viene translate to "is coming" instead of "comes"? Don't we need a word for "is"?
In Italian, the regular present tense covers both concepts. So, viene can mean "he comes" or "he is coming" depending on the context. You don't need an extra verb to express the English "-ing" action here.
Why is it alla partita instead of a la partita?
When the preposition a (to/at) meets the word for "the", they combine into one single word. Since partita (match/game) is a feminine word, it uses the article la. When a and la combine, they form alla.
Learn Perché non viene alla partita and more in Italian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free