Breakdown of Guardi, è un vero affare, non un quadro vero!
essere
to be
non
not
vero
true / right? (tag question)
il quadro
the painting
Questions & Answers about Guardi, è un vero affare, non un quadro vero!
Why is vero placed before the noun in vero affare but after the noun in quadro vero?
Why does the sentence use Guardi instead of Guarda for Look?
Guardi is the formal imperative (command) for Look. The speaker is addressing someone politely using the formal Lei, which is common between strangers, shopkeepers, and customers. If speaking to a friend, you would use the informal Guarda.
What does the word affare mean?
Why isn't there a word for it before è un vero affare?
In English we need the dummy subject it, but Italian simply drops the subject pronoun. You almost never use a word like esso here; you just jump straight to the verb è to mean it is.