Breakdown of I candidati provenienti dall'estero chiedono l'ammissione.
chiedere
to ask
da
from, at (someone's place) / by (oneself), on one's own
l'estero
abroad
il candidato
candidate
l'ammissione
admission
provenire
to come from
Questions & Answers about I candidati provenienti dall'estero chiedono l'ammissione.
Why do we use provenienti here instead of che provengono?
Both are correct, but using the present participle provenienti (from the verb provenire) is a more formal and concise way to replace the relative clause che provengono (who come). Because it acts as an adjective describing the plural noun I candidati, its ending changes to -i.
Could I use the gerund provenendo instead of provenienti here?
No, and this is a classic trap for English speakers! In English, we use the '-ing' form for both adjectives ('the candidates coming...') and adverbs ('by coming...'). In Italian, you must use the present participle (proveniente/i) to modify a noun. The gerund (provenendo) is only used to describe how, why, or when the main action happens.
Why is it dall'estero rather than just da estero?
The noun estero (abroad / foreign countries) generally requires a definite article in Italian when combined with prepositions of origin or destination. Therefore, the preposition da combines with l' to form dall'estero (literally 'from the abroad').
The English translation says 'ask for', but why is there no preposition after chiedono?
The verb chiedere inherently means 'to ask for' or 'to request'. When you are asking to receive a noun (like l'ammissione), it acts as a transitive verb and takes a direct object, so you do not add a preposition like per.
Learn I candidati provenienti dall'estero chiedono l'ammissione 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