Breakdown of Il bambino è spaventato e trema.
essere
to be
e
and
il bambino
the child
tremare
to tremble
spaventato
scared, frightened
Questions & Answers about Il bambino è spaventato e trema.
Is spaventato a verb or an adjective here?
In this sentence, spaventato acts as an adjective describing the child. It is actually the past participle of the verb spaventare (to scare), which is often used this way. Because il bambino is masculine and singular, the adjective ends in -o. If it were a little girl, it would be La bambina è spaventata.
Could trema also translate to 'is trembling'?
Yes! In Italian, the simple present tense (trema) is frequently used for actions happening right in this exact moment. While you could use the present continuous form sta tremando (is trembling), the simple present works perfectly for both 'trembles' and 'is trembling'.
If I wanted to tell the child 'Don't tremble!', how would I form that command?
How would I tell the child 'Don't be scared!' using the negative imperative?
Following the rule of using non + infinitive for an informal command, you can use the verb essere (to be): Non essere spaventato! Alternatively, Italians very often use the reflexive verb spaventarsi (to get scared) for this, which becomes Non spaventarti!
Learn Il bambino è spaventato e trema 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