Learn Italian: Non hanno ancora demolito la vecchia fabbrica. - They have not demolished the old factory yet.

Non hanno ancora demolito la vecchia fabbrica.

They have not demolished the old factory yet.

Breakdown of Non hanno ancora demolito la vecchia fabbrica.

Questions & Answers about Non hanno ancora demolito la vecchia fabbrica.

Where exactly do we place ancora in a sentence with a past tense verb like hanno demolito?

When using a compound tense (a verb made of two parts, like the helping verb hanno and the past participle demolito), ancora is placed right between them. The standard pattern is: non + helping verb + ancora + past participle.

In English we say 'not demolished the factory yet', putting 'yet' at the end. Can I do that in Italian?

It is much better to keep ancora sandwiched between the helping verb and the main verb. While putting it at the very end (Non hanno demolito la vecchia fabbrica ancora) might be understood, it sounds clunky and unnatural in Italian. Always aim for the sandwich structure!

Why is the adjective vecchia placed before the noun fabbrica? I thought adjectives usually came after.

You are right that most Italian adjectives go after the noun. However, a small group of very common descriptive adjectives (like vecchio, nuovo, bello, and buono) typically come before the noun to sound more natural and emphasize that specific quality.

What is the dictionary form of the verb demolito?