Learn Italian: Abbiamo due dilemmi difficili da risolvere. - We have two difficult dilemmas to solve.

Abbiamo due dilemmi difficili da risolvere.

We have two difficult dilemmas to solve.

Breakdown of Abbiamo due dilemmi difficili da risolvere.

Questions & Answers about Abbiamo due dilemmi difficili da risolvere.

Since dilemma ends in an '-a', why is the plural dilemmi rather than dilemme?

Words like dilemma, problema, and sistema are masculine nouns of Greek origin. Even though they end in -a in the singular (which normally indicates a feminine noun), they are actually masculine. Because they are masculine, their plural form ends in -i, making it dilemmi.

Does the adjective difficili end in '-i' just because dilemmi is a masculine plural?

It ends in -i because it is plural, but the gender doesn't actually matter here! The singular form of the adjective is difficile. Adjectives that end in -e in the singular change to -i in the plural for both masculine and feminine nouns.

Why do we use the preposition da before risolvere instead of a or di?

You use da followed by an infinitive verb when you want to express that something needs 'to be done'. Difficili da risolvere translates to 'difficult to solve' or 'difficult to be solved'. This is a very common pattern in Italian, just like saying cose da fare (things to do).

Is risolvere a regular verb if I want to use it in the past tense?