Question 1

Why does this sentence use da parte del instead of just dal to say "by the"?

Accepted Answer

In Italian passive sentences, you normally use da (or its combined forms like dal) to introduce the agent (the person or thing doing the action). However, when the agent is an institution, a collective group, or an official body—like il governo (the government)—it is very common to use da parte di. Here, da parte di + il combines to form da parte del.

Question 2

Would it be incorrect to say La riforma è stata approvata dal governo?

Accepted Answer

Not at all! Using dal governo is completely correct and very common. Choosing da parte del governo instead simply elevates the register, giving the sentence a more formal, journalistic tone that emphasizes the government acting as an institutional body.

Question 3

Why do we say è stata approvata with feminine endings?

Accepted Answer

Because this sentence is in the passive voice. In a passive construction, the auxiliary verb is always essere (here conjugated in the past tense as è stata), and the past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject of the sentence. Since the subject la riforma is feminine singular, the verbs become stata and approvata.

Question 4

If I flip this to the active voice ("The government approved the reform"), do I still use essere?

Accepted Answer

No, you would switch back to avere. The verb approvare (to approve) takes avere in active sentences. The active version of this sentence would simply be: Il governo ha approvato la riforma. You only use essere here because the sentence is passive ("was approved").

La riforma è stata approvata da parte del governo.

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