Learn Italian: La popolazione invecchia, il che produce un grave calo. - The population ages, which produces a serious drop.

La popolazione invecchia, il che produce un grave calo.

The population ages, which produces a serious drop.

Breakdown of La popolazione invecchia, il che produce un grave calo.

a / an (masculine)

grave

serious, grave (severe)

Questions & Answers about La popolazione invecchia, il che produce un grave calo.

Why use il che here instead of just che?

Normally, che refers back to a specific noun. However, in this sentence, the word which does not refer to a single noun. It refers to the entire situation of the population aging. When you need to refer back to a complete previous statement, you use il che.

How is the verb invecchia formed?

It comes from the adjective vecchio, meaning old. Italian often creates verbs from adjectives by adding the prefix in- at the beginning and an ending like -are or -ire at the end. So, the verb invecchiare literally means to get old or to age.

Does grave mean a literal grave in the ground?

No, here grave is an adjective meaning serious or severe, just like in English when we talk about a grave mistake. If you want to talk about a burial place, the correct Italian word is tomba.

What does the word calo mean?

A calo is a drop, decrease, or decline. You will often see this word used in the news to talk about falling numbers, such as a drop in population, prices, or temperature. It comes from the verb calare, meaning to drop or to go down.