Learn Italian: Abbiamo lo stesso problema.

Abbiamo lo stesso problema.

We have the same problem.

Breakdown of Abbiamo lo stesso problema.

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Questions & Answers about Abbiamo lo stesso problema.

Wait, problema ends in -a. Why is it masculine?

Problema is an exception to the rule that words ending in -a are feminine. Many Italian words ending in -ma (like il problema, il sistema, il programma) are actually masculine. Because it is masculine, it takes masculine articles and adjectives.

Why do we use the article lo instead of il?

The article always changes to match the sound of the word directly after it, even if that word is an adjective instead of the noun. Since stesso starts with an "s" plus a consonant ("t"), we must use lo instead of il.

I thought adjectives usually go after the noun. Why is it lo stesso problema and not il problema stesso?

While most descriptive adjectives go after the noun, a few common ones go before it. When stesso means "same," it almost always goes before the noun. If you put it after, like il problema stesso, it changes the meaning to "the problem itself".

How does this sentence relate to the comparatives we are learning, like tanto... quanto?