Breakdown of Quella gru immensa sta venendo smantellata.
quello
that
stare
to stay, to feel, to be
venire
to come
immenso
immense
la gru
the crane
smantellare
to dismantle
Questions & Answers about Quella gru immensa sta venendo smantellata.
Why is the progressive passive formed with venendo rather than essendo here?
In Italian, the progressive passive (meaning an action "is being" done right now) is formed using stare + the gerund venendo + the past participle. You cannot use essendo here; the literal English translation sta essendo is grammatically incorrect in modern Italian. Instead, Italian relies on the helper verb venire for this ongoing construction.
Could I just say Quella gru immensa viene smantellata without using sta?
Yes, you can use the standard passive with venire. However, viene smantellata can mean either "is dismantled" (as a general fact or routine) or "is being dismantled." Using the progressive form sta venendo smantellata specifically emphasizes that the dismantling is in progress at this very moment.
Why does the past participle smantellata end in -a?
In all passive constructions in Italian, the past participle acts like an adjective and must agree in gender and number with the subject. Because the subject gru (crane) is a feminine singular noun, the past participle takes the feminine singular ending -a.
How do I know gru is feminine, and how would this sentence look in the plural?
You largely have to memorize that gru is feminine, as its -u ending doesn't give a clear clue. Because it is a monosyllabic noun ending in a vowel, it is invariable, meaning it doesn't change form in the plural. If it were multiple cranes, you would say Quelle gru immense stanno venendo smantellate.
Learn Quella gru immensa sta venendo smantellata 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