Question 1

Why is nacque translated as "was born" rather than an active verb?

Accepted Answer

Nacque is the passato remoto (historical past) of the verb nascere (to be born) in the third-person singular. While English uses the passive voice ("was born"), Italian uses this active verb to express the exact same idea.

Question 2

Is there a trick to remembering the passato remoto form decise?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Decise comes from decidere (to decide). Many verbs ending in -dere follow a specific irregular pattern in the passato remoto where the -d- changes to -s- for the io, lui/lei, and loro forms. This gives us io decisi, lui decise, and loro decisero.

Question 3

Is eroe masculine or feminine, and how can we tell here?

Accepted Answer

Eroe (hero) is masculine. Because it starts with a vowel, it takes the article l' (short for lo). The adjective mortale ends in -e, meaning it can be either masculine or feminine, so it doesn't give the gender away. If the hero were a woman, the word would be l'eroina (the heroine).

Question 4

Why is there a la before sua vendetta if it just means "his revenge"?

Accepted Answer

In Italian, possessive adjectives like sua almost always require a definite article (il or la) right before them, unlike in English. The main exception to this rule is with singular, close family members (like sua madre), but since vendetta (revenge) isn't a family member, the la is strictly required.

L'eroe mortale nacque e decise la sua vendetta.

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