Breakdown of La strada non sta venendo asfaltata.
non
not
la strada
the street
stare
to stay, to feel, to be
venire
to come
asfaltare
to pave
Questions & Answers about La strada non sta venendo asfaltata.
Why do we use sta venendo instead of sta essendo for "is being"?
In Italian, the progressive passive (actions happening right now) is formed using stare + the gerund of venire (venendo) + the past participle. Using the gerund of essere (essendo) in this structure is grammatically incorrect. You will never see sta essendo.
Why does asfaltata end in -a here?
In any passive construction, the past participle acts like an adjective and must agree in gender and number with the subject. Because the subject la strada is feminine singular, the participle asfaltata must also be feminine singular.
Could I just say La strada non viene asfaltata? What is the difference?
Yes, you could. La strada non viene asfaltata is the standard passive and can mean either a general fact (The street doesn't get paved) or an ongoing action. By adding stare and using the gerund (sta venendo asfaltata), you heavily emphasize the ongoing, temporary nature of the action at this exact moment.
I noticed asfaltata looks like "asphalted". Is this the only word for "paved"?
Asfaltare specifically means to pave a road with asphalt, which is the most common context for roads today. If a street is being paved with stone, cobblestones, or tiles, you would use a different verb like lastricare or pavimentare.
Learn La strada non sta venendo asfaltata 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