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La ginnastica fa bene alla salute.

La ginnastica fa bene alla salute.
Exercise is good for your health.
From Lesson 115:Future tense of double-R verbs (berrò, vorrò)·Italian

Questions & Answers about La ginnastica fa bene alla salute.

Why is fa bene used instead of è buono to say "is good"?
In Italian, the idiom fare bene literally means "to do good" or "to do well". It is the standard way to say that something is healthy or beneficial. If you used è buono, an Italian might think you are saying the exercise tastes good!
Why does the sentence use alla salute (to the health) instead of per la salute (for the health)?
The phrase fare bene pairs with the preposition a (to) to show who or what is getting the benefit. It literally translates to saying exercise "does good to the health". Because salute is a feminine noun, the preposition a combines with the definite article la to create the combined word alla.
Does la ginnastica only refer to the specific sport of gymnastics?
No, it is used much more broadly in everyday Italian. While it does mean "gymnastics", Italians commonly use la ginnastica to talk about general physical exercise, working out, or fitness. For example, to say "I exercise", you say faccio ginnastica.
Why is there a La before ginnastica? In English, we just say "Exercise is good."
In English, we usually drop the article when talking about abstract concepts or things in a general, broad sense. In Italian, however, you still need the definite article (il, la, i, le) for generalizations. Since the sentence makes a general statement about all exercise, it must be la ginnastica.

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