Breakdown of Chi è l'uomo dalla barba grigia?
essere
to be
l'uomo
man
chi
who, whom
grigio
gray
da
with (a physical feature)
la barba
beard
Questions & Answers about Chi è l'uomo dalla barba grigia?
Why use dalla here instead of con la for 'with the'?
In English we say 'the man with the beard', so you might be tempted to use con la (with the). However, Italian frequently uses the preposition da combined with a definite article to describe distinctive physical traits or clothing. It translates closely to 'the man characterized by the gray beard'.
How is dalla formed in this sentence?
Dalla is an articulated preposition. It is made by combining the preposition da (used here for physical description) with la (the feminine singular definite article for barba). Da + la always becomes dalla.
Wait, shouldn't the adjective match the man? Why is it grigia instead of grigio?
Could I just say da barba grigia without the article la?
No, when describing physical characteristics, you must always use da combined with the definite article (like dalla, dal, dagli). If you use da on its own, it describes what something is used for (its purpose), such as schiuma da barba (shaving cream, literally 'foam for beard').
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