Breakdown of Gli abitanti sono i più simpatici e la cattedrale è la più vecchia della città.
essere
to be
e
and
vecchio
old
simpatico
nice
la città
the city
più
more / anymore (with 'non')
del
of the; than the (di + il)
l'abitante
the inhabitant / the local (m/f)
la cattedrale
the cathedral
Questions & Answers about Gli abitanti sono i più simpatici e la cattedrale è la più vecchia della città.
How do we form "the nicest" and "the oldest" in this sentence?
To say "the most [adjective]" (known as the relative superlative), Italian uses a definite article followed by più (more) and the adjective. Just like regular adjectives, the article and the adjective ending must match the noun they describe. For the masculine plural abitanti, we use i più simpatici. For the feminine singular cattedrale, we use la più vecchia.
Why do we use gli for abitanti but i for più simpatici, since both refer to masculine plural nouns?
You always choose the definite article based on the letter of the word immediately following it. Abitanti starts with a vowel, so it requires the article gli. However, in the superlative phrase, the word right after the article is più. Because più starts with a consonant, we must use the article i (i più simpatici).
Why is "in the city" translated as della città rather than nella città?
This is a very important rule for superlatives! When you state that something is the "best," "oldest," or "most" in a specific place or group, Italian uses the preposition di (of) rather than in. Therefore, "the oldest in the city" literally translates to "the oldest of the city," which gives us della città (combining di + la).
Wait, doesn't simpatici mean "sympathetic"?
It looks like it, but simpatico is a very common "false friend." In Italian, it describes someone who is "nice," "friendly," or "pleasant" to be around. If you want to say someone is sympathetic or understanding in Italian, you would use a different word, like comprensivo.
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