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L'acqua è fredda; il vapore, invece, è caldo.

L'acqua è fredda; il vapore, invece, è caldo.
The water is cold; the steam, instead, is hot.
From Lesson 156:Result conjunctions (quindi, perciò, dunque)·Italian

Questions & Answers about L'acqua è fredda; il vapore, invece, è caldo.

Why is invece placed between commas right after il vapore?
In Italian, it is very common and natural to place invece (instead / on the other hand) right after the subject you want to contrast, surrounded by commas. While you could say "invece il vapore è caldo", saying "il vapore, invece, è caldo" emphasizes the contrast between the steam and the water much more strongly.
How does invece relate to consequence words like quindi and perciò?
While quindi and perciò show a result or consequence (therefore / so), invece shows a contrast (instead / on the contrary). All of these are connecting words (conjunctions) that link two independent ideas. Notice how the semicolon (;) connects the two related thoughts here, acting as a bridge before invece introduces the contrast.
Why do fredda and caldo end in different letters?
Adjectives must always match the gender of the noun they describe. Acqua (water) is a feminine noun, so the adjective gets the feminine -a ending to become fredda. Vapore (steam) is a masculine noun, so it gets the masculine -o ending to become caldo.
I thought words ending in -e like vapore were feminine?
Italian nouns ending in -e can actually be either masculine or feminine, so you have to learn the gender when you learn the word! Vapore happens to be masculine, which is why we use the masculine article il and the masculine adjective caldo.

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