ELONIO
Log inSign up

Il vecchio mago aiuta l'illusionista a preparare lo spettacolo.

Il vecchio mago aiuta l'illusionista a preparare lo spettacolo.
The old magician helps the illusionist to prepare the show.
From Lesson 148:Linking verbs with 'a' (a + infinitive)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Il vecchio mago aiuta l'illusionista a preparare lo spettacolo.

Why do we need the word a before preparare?
In Italian, certain verbs require a specific preposition when they are followed by another verb in its infinitive (dictionary) form. The verb aiutare (to help) is one of these verbs. Whenever you say you are helping someone do something, you must use aiutare + a + infinitive.
Why is the adjective vecchio placed before the noun mago instead of after it?
Most adjectives in Italian go after the noun they describe. However, a small group of common descriptive adjectives, including vecchio (old), nuovo (new), bello (beautiful), and buono (good), usually go before the noun.
Why is the article lo used in lo spettacolo instead of il?
You must use the masculine definite article lo (the) instead of il when a masculine noun starts with an s followed by another consonant. Because spettacolo starts with sp, it requires lo.
How do I know if l'illusionista is a man or a woman in this sentence?
You actually cannot tell from this sentence alone! Nouns ending in -ista (like illusionista, turista, or dentista) use the exact same word for both men and women. The article l' is also the same for both masculine and feminine words starting with a vowel. You would need another clue, like an adjective, to know the person's gender.

Learn Il vecchio mago aiuta l'illusionista a preparare lo spettacolo and more in Italian

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Italian →