Question 1

Why is there an una before tale notizia if the English translation is just "such news"?

Accepted Answer

In English, "news" is generally an uncountable noun, but the Italian word notizia is countable (meaning "a piece of news"). When tale is used as an adjective to mean "such a" with a singular noun, it requires the indefinite article before it: una tale notizia (literally, "such a piece of news").

Question 2

Could I change the word order and say una notizia tale?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but it subtly changes the emphasis. Placing tale before the noun is the standard, everyday way to say "such a [noun]". Placing it after the noun (una notizia tale) puts more weight on the magnitude or nature of the event, translating closer to "news of that magnitude" or "news of such a kind".

Question 3

Could I use tale in the second half of the sentence too, like un tale scalpore?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! You could say ha suscitato un tale scalpore to mean "provoked such an uproar". The sentence uses questo scalpore ("this uproar") instead to point to a specific, current reaction that the speaker and listener are currently witnessing or discussing.

Question 4

Is suscitare the standard verb to use with a word like scalpore?

Accepted Answer

Yes, suscitare (to provoke, arouse, or stir up) is the perfect verb to pair with scalpore (an uproar, fuss, or sensation). It is a very common B2-level pairing for things that trigger a strong public reaction, similar to suscitare interesse (to arouse interest) or suscitare polemiche (to stir up controversy).

Perché una tale notizia ha suscitato questo scalpore?

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