Learn Italian: L'attore è bravissimo, non fa mai uno sbaglio. - The actor is really good, he never makes a mistake.

L'attore è bravissimo, non fa mai uno sbaglio.

The actor is really good, he never makes a mistake.

Breakdown of L'attore è bravissimo, non fa mai uno sbaglio.

a / an (masculine special)

lo sbaglio

the mistake

Questions & Answers about L'attore è bravissimo, non fa mai uno sbaglio.

How is bravissimo formed, and what does it mean?

It is the absolute superlative of the adjective bravo (good or skilled). To make it, you drop the final vowel of bravo and add -issimo. It means very good, really good, or extremely good. Like all adjectives, its ending changes to match what it describes, so here it takes the masculine singular ending -o to match l'attore.

Doesn't bravo mean brave?

It is a common false friend! In Italian, bravo usually means good, skilled, or talented at doing something. If you want to call an actor or a person brave, you would use the word coraggioso.

Why do we need both non and mai in this sentence?

Italian uses a double negative structure for words like never. You put non before the verb (fa) and mai right after it. Literally, it translates to 'he does not never make', which is the standard way to say 'he never makes' in Italian.

Could I just say non sbaglia mai instead of non fa mai uno sbaglio?

Yes, absolutely! Sbagliare is the verb for 'to make a mistake'. Saying non sbaglia mai is very natural and means exactly the same thing as using the noun form uno sbaglio with the verb fare (to make or do).