Breakdown of Il gattino dorme sul tavolino.
dormire
to sleep
su
on, about
il gattino
the kitten
il tavolino
the small table
Questions & Answers about Il gattino dorme sul tavolino.
How does the ending -ino change the meaning of gatto?
The suffix -ino is a diminutive. It makes things smaller or implies affection! By dropping the final vowel of gatto (cat) and adding -ino, we get gattino, which means little cat or kitten.
Is a tavolino just any small table, or is it a specific piece of furniture?
While it literally means small table (from tavolo + -ino), tavolino is actually the standard everyday word for a coffee table, a side table, or a cafe table. It has become its own specific vocabulary word, not just a grammar trick!
Does adding a suffix like -ino change the gender of the noun?
Why do we say sul tavolino instead of su il tavolino?
This is a quick reminder about articulated prepositions! In Italian, when the preposition su (on) meets a definite article like il (the), they must combine into one word. su + il always merges to become sul.
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