Breakdown of La squadra ha mantenuto la quindicesima posizione in classifica.
avere
to have
in
in / made of (material)
la squadra
team
mantenere
to maintain / to keep (preserve, support)
Questions & Answers about La squadra ha mantenuto la quindicesima posizione in classifica.
How exactly is quindicesima formed from the number 15 (quindici)?
To form ordinal numbers from 11 onwards, you take the normal number, drop its final vowel, and add the suffix -esimo. For 15 (quindici), we drop the final -i to get quindicesimo. Here, it changes to quindicesima because ordinal numbers act like adjectives and must agree with the feminine singular noun they describe (posizione).
How can you tell posizione is feminine since it ends in -e?
Nouns ending in -zione are almost always feminine in Italian. This sentence also gives you two helpful clues right next to it: the feminine definite article la and the feminine ending on quindicesima.
Why doesn't the past participle mantenuto change to mantenuta to match the feminine subject La squadra?
Why does the sentence use in classifica instead of nella classifica?