Loro hanno distribuito il cibo equamente, e noi abbiamo sfamato altrettante persone.

Questions & Answers about Loro hanno distribuito il cibo equamente, e noi abbiamo sfamato altrettante persone.

Why is it altrettante ending in -e instead of just altrettanto?
In this sentence, altrettanto acts as an adjective describing the noun persone (people). Because persone is feminine plural, the word changes its ending to match, becoming altrettante to mean "as many". When used as an adverb (modifying a verb to mean "as much" or "likewise"), it never changes form.
Where does the verb sfamato come from?
Sfamato is the past participle of sfamare, which means "to feed" or "to satisfy hunger". It is formed by attaching the prefix s- (often used to indicate removal or undoing) to the noun fame (hunger). Literally, it means to "un-hunger" the people!
Why are the pronouns Loro and noi included here instead of being dropped?
While they could be dropped since the verb endings (hanno and abbiamo) already make the subject clear, keeping them emphasizes the contrast between the two groups. It highlights the comparison: "THEY distributed the food, and WE fed the people."
How is the adverb equamente formed?
It means "evenly" or "fairly". Like most Italian adverbs, it is created by taking the feminine singular form of the adjective equo (fair, equal), which is equa, and adding the suffix -mente (which works just like "-ly" in English).

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