Question 1

Why use per colpa della here instead of a causa della?

Accepted Answer

Both mean "because of", but per colpa di implies blame or fault (literally "through the fault of"), which fits perfectly with the negative idea of disorganization. A causa di is more neutral. Also, notice how the preposition di combines with the feminine article la to make della.

Question 2

Why is it Che ore sono (plural) when in English we say "What time is it" (singular)?

Accepted Answer

In Italian, asking for the time is usually treated as a plural concept (literally "what hours are they?"). You can also say Che ora è? (singular), which is equally correct and means the exact same thing, but the plural form used here is very common.

Question 3

Why is it in ritardo instead of just translating "late" as a single adjective?

Accepted Answer

In Italian, "to be late" is expressed with the fixed phrase essere in ritardo (literally "to be in lateness"). You will always use the preposition in for this expression.

Question 4

Can you break down why we have both della and del right after each other?

Accepted Answer

Both are formed by combining the preposition di with a definite article. First, per colpa di requires di, which merges with la (for the feminine noun disorganizzazione) to make della. Then, to say "of the group", di merges with il (for the masculine noun gruppo) to make del.

Che ore sono? Siamo in ritardo per colpa della disorganizzazione del gruppo.

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