Breakdown of C'è un incendio, ma l'ambulanza sta per arrivare.
un
a / an (masculine)
ma
but
c'è
there is / there are
arrivare
to arrive
per
for / in order to / because of
stare
to stay, to feel, to be
l'ambulanza
the ambulance (f)
l'incendio
the fire (m)
Questions & Answers about C'è un incendio, ma l'ambulanza sta per arrivare.
How does sta per arrivare translate to "is about to arrive"?
This sentence uses the structure stare per + an infinitive verb, which is how Italians express that an action is imminent or "about to" happen. Since the ambulance (l'ambulanza) is an "it", we use the third-person singular form sta, followed by per, and then the action in its dictionary form: arrivare.
Could I use fuoco instead of incendio for "fire" here?
Not in this context! While fuoco translates to "fire" generally (like a campfire or a stove), incendio specifically means an uncontrolled, dangerous emergency fire (like a house fire or wildfire). Since an ambulance is coming, we know it's an emergency, making incendio the right word.
If there were multiple ambulances, how would the stare per phrase change?
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