Learn Italian: Mia sorella vive a Londra. - My sister lives in London.

Mia sorella vive a Londra.

My sister lives in London.

Breakdown of Mia sorella vive a Londra.

Questions & Answers about Mia sorella vive a Londra.

Why does this sentence use a instead of in for "in London"?

In English, we say "in London", but Italian uses the preposition a for cities and towns. You use a whether you are living in the city or traveling to it. The preposition in is saved for larger areas like countries, regions, and big islands (for example, in Inghilterra for "in England").

Why isn't it la mia sorella? Don't Italian possessive words usually need "the" before them?

Usually, yes! You would say la mia casa (my house). However, there is a special exception for family members. When you talk about one singular family member (like sorella, fratello, or madre), you must drop the la or il.

Where does the word vive come from?

It is the "he/she/it" form of the regular verb vivere (to live). Because "my sister" counts as "she" (third-person singular), we drop the -ere ending from the dictionary form and add -e, giving us vive.

Is Londra the Italian spelling for London?

Yes! Many famous world cities have specific Italian names. London is Londra, Paris is Parigi, and even Italian cities sometimes look different in English (like Roma for Rome). You just have to memorize these city names as you learn them.