Breakdown of I miei sci sono nuovi, ma quelli di Luca sono vecchi.
essere
to be
nuovo
new
vecchio
old
ma
but
quello
that
di
of, from
mio
my
Luca
Luca
lo sci
the ski
Questions & Answers about I miei sci sono nuovi, ma quelli di Luca sono vecchi.
Why do we use quelli di here instead of just translating "Luca's"?
In Italian, there is no direct equivalent to the English apostrophe-s ('s). To say "Luca's" without repeating the word for skis (sci), we use the demonstrative pronoun quelli (literally "those") followed by di Luca ("of Luca"). Because sci is masculine and plural, we must use the masculine plural pronoun quelli.
The word sci normally takes the article gli (as in gli sci). Why does it use i here?
The choice of the definite article depends on the word immediately following it. Even though sci starts with an s-consonant cluster and takes gli, the word right after the article in this sentence is miei. Since miei starts with a single consonant, the article changes to the regular masculine plural i.
Why is it i miei sci and not just miei sci?
Unlike English, Italian generally requires a definite article (like i) before a possessive adjective (like miei). The only major exception is for singular family members. Since skis are objects, the article is absolutely required here.
How do we know sci is plural in this sentence?
Learn I miei sci sono nuovi, ma quelli di Luca sono vecchi 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