Word
Il bambino sa nuotare molto bene.
Meaning
The child can swim very well.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Il bambino sa nuotare molto bene.
Why does sa mean "can" in this sentence instead of "knows"?
Could I use può (from potere) instead of sa to say "can"?
In Italian, there is an important difference! You use sapere for learned skills, like knowing how to swim, speak a language, or ride a bike. You use potere for permission or physical possibility, like asking "can you swim today, or is the pool closed?". Since the child has learned the skill of swimming, we use sa.
Why is nuotare in its full dictionary form (the infinitive) instead of being conjugated?
Whenever you have a conjugated verb like sa directly followed by another action, the second verb stays in the infinitive form (ending in -are, -ere, or -ire). You only conjugate the first verb.
Why do we use bene here instead of buono?