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La reazione chimica ha rovinato il campione.

La reazione chimica ha rovinato il campione.
The chemical reaction has ruined the sample.
From Lesson 286:Feminine nouns ending in -i (la crisi, le crisi)·Italian

Questions & Answers about La reazione chimica ha rovinato il campione.

Does this sentence contain any of the invariable Greek nouns ending in '-i' from this lesson?
Not in this specific sentence. Both reazione and campione change their endings in the plural (le reazioni, i campioni). If the sentence had used a word like l'analisi (the analysis) instead of la reazione, that would be a feminine invariable noun where the singular and plural forms are identical.
I thought campione meant "champion". Why is it translated as "sample" here?
Il campione is a word with two very different but common meanings. In a sports context, it means "the champion." However, in a scientific, medical, or commercial context, it translates to "the sample" (like a chemical sample, a blood sample, or a free product sample).
Is there a reliable way to know that reazione is feminine?
Yes! In Italian, nouns ending in -zione are practically always feminine. This is a very consistent rule, which is why it takes the feminine article la and why the adjective describing it becomes chimica.
Why is chimica feminine here, and is it related to the noun for "chemistry"?
They are exactly the same word, but acting as different parts of speech. Here, chimica is an adjective meaning "chemical," and it must agree with the feminine singular noun it describes (la reazione). If you were talking about the school subject or field of science, you would use it as a noun: la chimica (chemistry).

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