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La città cresceva molto, ma oggi non cresce più.

La città cresceva molto, ma oggi non cresce più.
The city was growing a lot, but today it is no longer growing.
From Lesson 143:Not anymore and not yet (non... più, non... ancora)·Italian

Questions & Answers about La città cresceva molto, ma oggi non cresce più.

How do you form "not anymore" with non ... più in this sentence?
To say "not anymore" or "no longer," you frame the verb with non and più. In this sentence, non comes before the present-tense verb cresce (grows) and più comes directly after it, creating non cresce più (is no longer growing).
Does più always mean "more"?
Usually, yes! But when it is paired with non in a negative sentence, the meaning changes completely. Together, non ... più translates to "not anymore" or "no longer."
Why is the first verb cresceva instead of the passato prossimo form è cresciuta?
Cresceva is in the imperfect tense. We use the imperfect here because it translates to "was growing." It describes an ongoing, continuous state in the past, rather than a single completed event, contrasting perfectly with how the city is today.
Why does città have an accent mark on the last letter?
The accent mark tells you to put the stress on the final vowel when speaking. A handy bonus rule to remember: Italian nouns ending in an accented vowel like città do not change their ending in the plural. "The cities" is simply le città.

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