Learn Italian: Il matrimonio è durato per dieci anni. - The marriage lasted for ten years.

Il matrimonio è durato per dieci anni.

The marriage lasted for ten years.

Breakdown of Il matrimonio è durato per dieci anni.

for / in order to / because of

il matrimonio

the wedding / the marriage

Questions & Answers about Il matrimonio è durato per dieci anni.

Why do we use per here instead of da for "for"?

In this lesson, we learn that per is used for a completed block of time. This marriage is over, so it lasted for a finished period of ten years (per dieci anni). If the couple were still married today, we would use the present tense with da for an ongoing duration: Il matrimonio dura da dieci anni (The marriage has been going on for ten years).

Why is the auxiliary verb è used with durato instead of ha?

The verb durare (to last) takes essere (to be) as its helping verb in the past tense. Remember that when you use essere, the past participle must agree with the subject. Since il matrimonio is a masculine singular noun, the participle ends in -o (durato).

Does matrimonio mean "marriage" or "wedding"?

It means both! You have to use context to tell the difference. Since it lasted ten years in this sentence, it definitely means marriage. If you were talking about an event that lasted a few hours or a weekend, it would mean the wedding celebration.

Could I say this sentence without the word per?

Yes! When talking about how long something lasted, Italians often drop the word per. Saying Il matrimonio è durato dieci anni is perfectly correct and very common in everyday speech.