La partita di calcio è oggi.

Questions & Answers about La partita di calcio è oggi.

Why is it partita and not gioco for "match"?
In Italian, partita is used specifically for an organized sports match or a round of a game. Gioco refers to the general concept of a game, a children's game, or the rules of playing.
Why do we say partita di calcio instead of just putting the words together like "soccer match"?
In Italian, you cannot put two nouns right next to each other to make a compound word like you do in English. Instead, you use the preposition di (of) to connect them. Literally, this translates to "the match of soccer."
Since this lesson is about prepositions, could I use per instead of di here?
No. When describing the type, material, or category something belongs to (like a soccer match or a water bottle), Italian uses di. The preposition per (for) is mainly used to show purpose, a recipient, or a destination.
Why does è have an accent mark?
The accent mark shows that è means "is" (a form of the verb essere, to be). Without the accent mark, e simply means "and." The accent helps you tell these two very common words apart!

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