Breakdown of I cani dormono sui tappeti.
il cane
the dog
dormire
to sleep
su
on, about
il tappeto
the rug, carpet
Questions & Answers about I cani dormono sui tappeti.
How is the word sui formed here?
sui is a combined word (called an articulated preposition). It is made by blending the preposition su (on) with the plural definite article i (the). Because we are saying 'on the carpets', we combine su + i into sui.
Why do we use sui instead of sugli?
Both sui and sugli mean 'on the' for plural masculine nouns. The choice depends on the noun that follows. tappeti (carpets) starts with a regular consonant (t), so it uses the normal article i (making sui). If the noun started with a vowel, an s followed by a consonant, or a z, it would take the article gli (making sugli).
dormono comes from the verb dormire (to sleep). Why does it end in -ono?
The singular word for dog is cane. Why is the plural cani when the singular does not end in -o?