Breakdown of Mangio gli spaghetti con il pomodoro.
mangiare
to eat
con
with
il pomodoro
the tomato
gli spaghetti
the spaghetti
Questions & Answers about Mangio gli spaghetti con il pomodoro.
Why isn't there a word for "I" before mangio?
In Italian, subject pronouns like io (I) are usually dropped because the verb ending already tells you who is doing the action. The -o ending on mangio lets us know it specifically means "I eat".
Why is the article gli used for spaghetti instead of i?
Don't small connecting words like con usually combine with the word for "the"?
Often, yes! Many prepositions merge with definite articles to form a single word (for example, a + il becomes al). However, con (with) is an exception. It is standard in modern Italian to keep con and il separate, though you might occasionally see the combined form col.
Why does Italian use il pomodoro ("the tomato") when English just says "with tomato"?
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