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La donna è svenuta: l'ambulanza la porta al pronto soccorso.

La donna è svenuta: l'ambulanza la porta al pronto soccorso.
The woman fainted: the ambulance takes her to the emergency room.
From Lesson 92:Imminent actions (stare per)·Italian

Questions & Answers about La donna è svenuta: l'ambulanza la porta al pronto soccorso.

Why does this sentence use è svenuta instead of 'ha svenuta'?
Svenire (to faint) is a verb that describes a change of state. In the past tense, these verbs use the helper verb essere (to be) rather than avere (to have). Because we use essere, the ending of the past participle must match the subject. Since la donna is feminine singular, it becomes svenuta.
Why is the word la placed before the verb in la porta?
Here, la is a direct object pronoun meaning 'her'. In Italian, these pronouns must be placed immediately before the conjugated verb. So, instead of saying 'takes her' as we do in English, Italian puts the pronoun first: la porta.
What does pronto soccorso literally translate to?
It literally means 'ready' (pronto) 'rescue' or 'assistance' (soccorso). This is the standard Italian term for the emergency room (ER) or a first aid station.
How would I change this sentence to say the woman 'is about to faint', using the grammar from this lesson?
You would use the stare per + infinitive structure. 'The woman is about to faint' translates to La donna sta per svenire.

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