Word
Il cancello cedette.
Meaning
The gate yielded.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
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Questions & Answers about Il cancello cedette.
What is the infinitive of cedette, and what tense is this?
The infinitive is cedere (to yield, give way, or surrender). Cedette is the 3rd-person singular form in the passato remoto (remote past), which is the focus of this lesson.
I thought regular -ere verbs ended in -é in this tense. Why does this end in -ette?
Most regular -ere verbs actually have two correct options for the 3rd-person singular in the passato remoto: -é and -ette. So both cedé and cedette are grammatically correct, but the -ette endings are often much more common in written Italian.
Can cedere also be used for people yielding or giving up, or just physical objects?
It works for both! While here it means a physical structure giving way under pressure, you can absolutely use it for people giving in to demands, arguments, or temptations. For example: L'uomo cedette alla tentazione (The man gave in to temptation).
When would I say Il cancello cedette instead of Il cancello ha ceduto?