Breakdown of Queste vecchie abitudini sono sempre meno diffuse.
essere
to be
vecchio
old
queste
these (feminine)
sempre
always
meno
to / less (time) / less
l'abitudine
the habit (f)
diffuso
widespread / common (prevalent, spread out)
Questions & Answers about Queste vecchie abitudini sono sempre meno diffuse.
Why does sempre meno mean "less and less"? Doesn't sempre mean "always"?
You're exactly right! Literally, sempre meno translates to "always less". In Italian, combining sempre with più (more) or meno (less) is the standard way to express a progressive change over time. So while we repeat the word in English ("less and less"), Italian simply uses sempre meno.
Why do queste, vecchie, and diffuse end in -e when abitudini ends in -i?
Abitudini is a feminine plural noun, but it belongs to the group of nouns that end in -e in the singular (l'abitudine). These nouns always change to -i in the plural, regardless of their gender. However, the adjectives modifying it—queste (these), vecchie (old), and diffuse (widespread)—follow the standard feminine plural rule and take the -e ending.
Is diffuse related to the English word "diffuse"?
Yes, they share the same Latin root. However, while "diffuse" in English can sound a bit formal or scientific, the Italian adjective diffuso (and its feminine plural form diffuse) is an everyday word. It translates best as "widespread" or "common" and is frequently used to describe habits, ideas, trends, or news.
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