Learn Italian: L'hotel è vicino alla spiaggia.

L'hotel è vicino alla spiaggia.

The hotel is near the beach.

Breakdown of L'hotel è vicino alla spiaggia.

essere

to be

alla

to the / at the (feminine singular)

Questions & Answers about L'hotel è vicino alla spiaggia.

Why do we say alla spiaggia instead of just la spiaggia?

In Italian, the word vicino (near) is almost always followed by the preposition a (to) when linking to a location. When you combine a with the feminine article la, they merge to form alla.

Why does hotel get the apostrophe article l' even though it starts with a consonant?

The letter 'h' is completely silent in Italian. Because the word is pronounced starting with the 'o' sound, grammar treats it exactly like a word that starts with a vowel. So, just like you write l'orologio, you write l'hotel.

Will vicino change to vicina if the subject is a feminine word?

No, in this structure vicino acts as an invariable adverb indicating location, so its ending does not change. It stays masculine singular whether you are talking about a hotel (l'hotel) or a house (la casa).

Why is there an 'i' in spiaggia if it doesn't make a distinct vowel sound?

The 'i' is there strictly for pronunciation. It changes the sound of the double 'g'. Without the 'i', the 'g' would be a hard sound, like in the English word 'go'. The 'i' softens it to sound like the 'j' in 'judge'.