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La pasta non è neanche cotta!

La pasta non è neanche cotta!
The pasta is not even cooked!
From Lesson 142:Emphatic negation (neanche, nemmeno, né... né)·Italian

Breakdown of La pasta non è neanche cotta!

essere
to be
non
not
la pasta
the pasta
cotto
cooked
neanche
not even

Questions & Answers about La pasta non è neanche cotta!

Why are there two negative words (non and neanche) in this sentence?
In Italian, when a negative word like neanche (not even) comes after the verb, you must put non before the verb. It is a required double negative. If you translate it literally, it looks like "is not not even," but in Italian, this double negative is simply how you say "is not even."
Can I use nemmeno or neppure instead of neanche?
Yes, absolutely! Neanche, nemmeno, and neppure are synonyms and are completely interchangeable. You can say La pasta non è nemmeno cotta! and it means exactly the same thing.
What if I put neanche at the beginning of the sentence?
If a negative word like neanche goes before the verb, you must drop the non. You could legally say Neanche la pasta è cotta! but this shifts the emphasis. It translates to "Not even the pasta is cooked!" (implying the other dishes aren't ready either), instead of focusing on the fact that the pasta hasn't even finished cooking yet.
Why does cotta end in -a and what is its infinitive verb?
Cotta is the irregular past participle of the verb cuocere (to cook). In this sentence, it acts as an adjective describing La pasta. Because pasta is a feminine singular noun, the adjective must match it and end in -a.

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