Breakdown of Gli zaini si devono lasciare nello spogliatoio.
lo zaino
the backpack
in
in / made of (material)
lasciare
to leave (an object)
dovere
must
si
one (impersonal)
lo spogliatoio
the locker room
Questions & Answers about Gli zaini si devono lasciare nello spogliatoio.
Why is the verb plural (devono) if the English translation says 'Backpacks must be left'?
This is the si passivante (passive si) in action. When you use si with a modal verb and an object (gli zaini), that object actually becomes the grammatical subject of the sentence. Because gli zaini is plural, the modal verb dovere must be conjugated in the plural form, devono.
How would this sentence change if we were only talking about one backpack?
It would be: Lo zaino si deve lasciare nello spogliatoio. Because the subject (lo zaino) is now singular, the modal verb must also change to the singular form, deve.
Could we place the si somewhere else in this sentence?
Why do we use nello instead of nel for 'in the locker room'?
It is because of the starting letters of spogliatoio. It is a masculine noun that starts with an 's' followed by a consonant (often called an 'impure s'). These nouns require the definite article lo instead of il. When you combine the preposition in with lo, it merges to become nello.
Learn Gli zaini si devono lasciare nello spogliatoio 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