Log inSign up

Senza un diploma, trovare lavoro è più difficile.

Senza un diploma, trovare lavoro è più difficile.
Without a diploma, finding work is more difficult.
From Lesson 247:Masculine nouns ending in -ma (-ma, -mi)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Senza un diploma, trovare lavoro è più difficile.

Why is it un diploma instead of una diploma?
Even though it ends in -a, diploma is a masculine noun. It belongs to a group of Italian words of Greek origin ending in -ma (like problema, sistema, and clima) that are actually masculine. Because it is masculine, it takes the indefinite article un.
How do you make diploma plural?
Because it is a masculine noun, its plural follows the regular masculine rule: the ending changes to -i. The plural is diplomi (and the definite plural is i diplomi).
The English translation uses 'finding', so why does the Italian use the infinitive trovare?
In English, we often use the '-ing' verb form when the verb acts as the subject of a sentence. In Italian, you must use the infinitive form (trovare) when a verb is used as a noun in this way. You cannot use the Italian gerund (trovando).
Why is there no article before lavoro?
Trovare lavoro is a common expression meaning 'to find work' in a general sense. While you can say trovare un lavoro ('to find a job'), dropping the article is very natural when talking about employment as a broad concept rather than one specific position.

Learn Senza un diploma, trovare lavoro è più difficile and more in Italian

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Italian →