Question 1

How is the noun spiegazione formed?

Accepted Answer

It is built from the verb spiegare (to explain). By taking the verb and adding the suffix -zione, we create an abstract noun that means the act or result of explaining. This is the exact equivalent of how English uses the suffix -tion to turn "explain" into "explanation".

Question 2

Is spiegazione masculine or feminine?

Accepted Answer

It is feminine, which is why it takes the feminine article la. A very helpful rule to remember is that almost all Italian nouns ending in the suffix -zione are feminine.

Question 3

Since the subject is feminine, why doesn't molto change to molta?

Accepted Answer

In this sentence, molto is an adverb meaning "very" because it modifies the adjective difficile. Adverbs never change their endings to match gender or number. Molto only changes to molta, molti, or molte when it acts as an adjective describing a noun, like in the phrase molta pazienza.

Question 4

Why does difficile end in -e if it describes the feminine noun spiegazione?

Accepted Answer

Not all adjectives end in -o or -a. The word difficile belongs to a group of adjectives that end in -e in the singular. These adjectives use the exact same form for both masculine and feminine nouns. They only change in the plural, where the -e becomes an -i.

La spiegazione di questa regola è molto difficile.

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