Word
Il tavolo vecchio è di ferro.
Meaning
The old table is made of iron.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Questions & Answers about Il tavolo vecchio è di ferro.
Why does the sentence just say è di ferro instead of using a word for 'made'?
In Italian, the preposition di is used to show what material something is made of. You usually do not need a translation for 'made' — just combining di with the material (like ferro) is the standard way to say 'made of iron'.
Why isn't there an article before ferro? Shouldn't it be del ferro?
When using di to describe the material an object is made out of, you do not use a definite article. You just use di followed immediately by the raw material, like di ferro (of iron) or di legno (of wood).
Why is the adjective vecchio placed after tavolo?
In Italian, most descriptive adjectives go directly after the noun they describe. So, instead of the English order 'the old table', the Italian structure is 'the table old' (il tavolo vecchio).
Would di change if we were talking about plural tables?
No, the preposition di stays exactly the same here. Even if we had multiple tables (i tavoli vecchi sono di ferro) or a feminine object, di ferro does not change because the material itself remains the same.