Tutte le isole dell'arcipelago hanno un vulcano, tranne l'isola minore.

Questions & Answers about Tutte le isole dell'arcipelago hanno un vulcano, tranne l'isola minore.

Does minore mean smaller or smallest here?
Minore is the irregular comparative of piccolo (small), meaning smaller. However, when paired with the definite article (l'isola minore), it forms a relative superlative, meaning the smallest island. While translated here as the minor island, it grammatically expresses the smallest one.
Why does minore end in -e if it describes the feminine noun isola?
Adjectives that end in -e in the singular, like minore and maggiore, have the same form for both masculine and feminine nouns. They only change to -i in the plural (for example, le isole minori).
Why is it Tutte le isole and not just Tutte isole?
In Italian, when you use tutto (or its plural forms like tutte) to mean all, it must be followed by the definite article before the noun. You cannot skip the article like you sometimes do in English.
Are there synonyms for tranne that I should know at this level?
Yes, tranne means except, and you will often hear eccetto or salvo used interchangeably in sentences like this.

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