Breakdown of Il tavolo vecchio è di ferro.
essere
to be
il tavolo
the table
vecchio
old
di
of, from
il ferro
the iron (metal; il ferro da stiro = the clothes iron)
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.
Learn Il tavolo vecchio è di ferro and more in Italian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free