Log inSign up

Nessuno vuole comprare quella macchinona perché costa troppo.

Nessuno vuole comprare quella macchinona perché costa troppo.
Nobody wants to buy that big car because it costs too much.
From Lesson 84:Noun suffixes (-ino, -one)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Nessuno vuole comprare quella macchinona perché costa troppo.

How does the suffix change macchina into macchinona?
The suffix -one or -ona is an "augmentative", meaning it makes a noun larger. By dropping the final vowel of macchina (car) and adding -ona, you get macchinona (big car). It keeps its feminine gender here, which is why it is paired with the feminine word quella (that).
Doesn't Italian usually use double negatives? Why is there no non here?
You only need a double negative (using non) if the negative word comes after the verb. Since nessuno (nobody) is the subject and comes right at the start of the sentence before the verb vuole, the non is dropped.
Why doesn't troppo end in -a to match the feminine macchinona?
Because here, troppo is acting as an adverb modifying the verb costa (it costs too much). Adverbs never change their endings. You only change the ending of troppo when it is an adjective directly describing a noun (for example, troppe macchinone for too many big cars).
Why is comprare left in its infinitive (dictionary) form?
When two verbs are paired together to express a single idea, only the first one is conjugated. Vuole is conjugated to match nessuno (Nobody wants), so the second verb comprare (to buy) must stay in the infinitive.

Learn Nessuno vuole comprare quella macchinona perché costa troppo and more in Italian

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Italian →