Breakdown of La capitale è così cara come Milano?
essere
to be
caro
expensive, dear
Milano
Milan
così
so, like this
la capitale
capital
come
as (in comparisons)
Questions & Answers about La capitale è così cara come Milano?
How do we form the 'as... as' comparison in this sentence?
We use the comparative of equality: così plus the adjective plus come. Here, it wraps around the adjective to make così cara come (as expensive as).
Can I use tanto and quanto instead?
Why is it cara rather than caro?
Adjectives still need to match the gender and number of the noun they describe, even inside a comparison. Because La capitale is a feminine singular noun, the adjective must be cara.
Is it possible to drop the word così?
Yes! Italians often drop the first part of the comparison. It is very common and completely correct to just ask: La capitale è cara come Milano?
Why doesn't Milano have an article in front of it?
While regular nouns like capitale need a definite article like La, Italian generally does not use definite articles before the names of most cities. So it is just Milano.
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