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Il libro è caduto sul pavimento.

Il libro è caduto sul pavimento.
The book fell on the floor.
From Lesson 70:The passato prossimo with essere (sono andato)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Il libro è caduto sul pavimento.

Why do we use è (is) instead of ha (has) to say the book fell?
In Italian, the past tense (passato prossimo) is formed using a helper verb: either avere (to have) or essere (to be). Verbs describing a change of state or certain types of sudden motion, like cadere (to fall), require essere. Since we are talking about a single book, we use è.
Why does caduto end in -o?
Whenever you use essere as the helper verb in the past tense, the ending of the main verb (the past participle) must match the subject in gender and number. Because il libro is masculine and singular, caduto ends in -o. If a feminine word fell, like la mela (the apple), it would be è caduta.
Where does the word sul come from?
Sul is a combined word (an articulated preposition) made by merging the preposition su (on) and the definite article il (the). We use il because pavimento is a masculine singular noun starting with a standard consonant.
Does pavimento mean 'pavement'?
No, this is a classic false friend! Pavimento means the indoor floor of a room or building. If you want to talk about the outdoor pavement or sidewalk, you would use the word il marciapiede.

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