Breakdown of Torniamo nella baia senza la vela, a meno che le onde non siano piccole.
essere
to be
piccolo
small
in
in / made of (material)
tornare
to return
Questions & Answers about Torniamo nella baia senza la vela, a meno che le onde non siano piccole.
Why is there a 'non' before 'siano' if the English translation is positive ('unless the waves are small')?
The phrase a meno che (unless) is almost always paired with non in Italian. This is called a pleonastic (extra) negative. It doesn't actually make the clause negative; it just belongs to the set structure a meno che non.
Why do we use 'siano' instead of the regular present tense 'sono'?
The conjunction a meno che (unless) always triggers the subjunctive mood because it introduces a hypothetical condition or element of doubt. siano is the present subjunctive form of essere for 'they', matching le onde.
We are returning 'to' the bay, so why use 'nella' (in the) instead of 'alla' (to the)?
In Italian, movement toward certain places like countries, regions, or enclosed natural spaces like a bay (baia) often takes the preposition in. Here, in combines with the definite article la to form nella, giving the sense of returning 'into' the bay.
Why does the adjective 'piccole' end with an -e?
It has to agree in gender and number with the noun it describes: le onde (the waves). Since onda is a feminine noun and here it is plural, the default adjective piccolo changes to its feminine plural form, piccole.