ELONIO
Log inSign up

Dieci anni fa, mio fratello ha scoperto un dente della preistoria.

Dieci anni fa, mio fratello ha scoperto un dente della preistoria.
Ten years ago, my brother discovered a tooth from prehistory.
From Lesson 152:Elapsed time (fa)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Dieci anni fa, mio fratello ha scoperto un dente della preistoria.

How does fa work here to mean "ago"?
Fa is actually the "it/he/she" form of the verb fare (to do/make). So, dieci anni fa literally means "it makes ten years". In Italian, when talking about time passed, fa always goes directly after the time period, just like "ago" does in English.
Why is it just mio fratello and not il mio fratello?
In Italian, you drop the definite article (like il or la) when using a possessive word with a singular, close family member. So it is mio fratello (my brother), but if the sentence were about multiple brothers, it would be plural and the article would come back: i miei fratelli.
Is scoperto an irregular past participle?
Yes! It comes from the verb scoprire (to discover). Since it is an -ire verb, you might expect the past participle to be "scoprito", but it is irregular. It follows the exact same pattern as aprire (to open), which becomes aperto.
Why use della (of the) instead of dalla (from the) for "from prehistory"?
When describing what era, material, or category an object belongs to, Italian uses di (of) rather than da (from). So, it translates more literally to "a tooth of the prehistory". Since preistoria is feminine, di combines with la to make della.

Learn Dieci anni fa, mio fratello ha scoperto un dente della preistoria 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 →