Breakdown of I tuoi pattini sono migliori di quelli del principiante.
essere
to be
quello
that
tuo
your
di
than
Questions & Answers about I tuoi pattini sono migliori di quelli del principiante.
How does the phrase quelli del principiante work to mean "the beginner's"?
English uses the apostrophe-'s to show possession without repeating the noun (like "the beginner's"). Italian doesn't have an equivalent, so it uses a demonstrative pronoun (quelli, meaning "those") plus di ("of"). Literally, this sentence says your skates are better than "those of the beginner".
Why is the pronoun quelli used here instead of quello or quelle?
The demonstrative pronoun has to match the gender and number of the noun it replaces. Since it replaces pattini (skates), which is a masculine plural noun, you must use the masculine plural form quelli.
Why do we use migliori here instead of meglio?
Migliore is an adjective meaning "better" (the comparative form of buono / "good"), so it describes nouns like pattini. Meglio is an adverb (the comparative form of bene / "well"), which describes verbs, like how well someone skates. Since pattini is plural, the adjective changes from migliore to migliori.
Why are there two forms of "di" (di and del) so close to each other in ...migliori di quelli del...?