Marco lavora in Inghilterra, non in Germania.

Questions & Answers about Marco lavora in Inghilterra, non in Germania.

Why do we use in before Inghilterra and Germania?
In Italian, the rule for locations is that countries, continents, and large regions take the preposition in. Because England and Germany are countries, we use in. If Marco worked in a specific city, like London, we would use the preposition a instead (a Londra).
Why is there an 'h' in Inghilterra?
The 'h' changes the pronunciation. In Italian, a 'g' followed by an 'i' makes a soft sound, like the 'j' in "jeans". To make a hard 'g' sound, like in "go", Italian adds an 'h'. So, ghi is pronounced like the English word "gee".
How do we know lavora means "he works" and not "I work"?
Regular verbs that end in -are, like lavorare (to work), take an -a ending for "he", "she", or "it". If you wanted to say "I work", it would be lavoro with an -o at the end.
Is it okay to just say non in Germania without repeating the verb?
Yes! Just like in English, when you are contrasting two things, you don't need to repeat the verb. Saying non in Germania is a perfectly natural way to say "not in Germany" without having to say non lavora in Germania.

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