Breakdown of Il medico le ha prescritto un sonnifero per l'insonnia.
un
a / an (masculine)
il medico
the doctor
avere
to have
per
for / in order to / because of
le
to her
prescrivere
to prescribe
l'insonnia
the insomnia (f)
il sonnifero
the sleeping pill
Questions & Answers about Il medico le ha prescritto un sonnifero per l'insonnia.
Why doesn't the past participle prescritto agree with the pronoun le?
In Italian, the past participle requires agreement with direct object pronouns (like la for "her"). However, here le is an indirect object pronoun meaning "to her" (the doctor prescribed to her). When dealing with indirect object pronouns, the past participle does not change and stays in its default masculine singular form, prescritto.
How does the word sonnifero function in this sentence?
While your current lesson focuses on adjectives shifting to act as adverbs, sonnifero is an example of an adjective acting as a noun (a substantive adjective). It normally means "sleep-inducing" or "soporific," but by simply pairing it with the article un, it functions as the noun for "a sleeping pill".
Why do we need the article l' in per l'insonnia when English just says "for insomnia"?
Italian requires definite articles before abstract nouns, general concepts, and medical conditions. Even though it follows the preposition per, because you are referring to a condition generally, the article must be included.
Could I use dottore instead of medico in this sentence?
Yes, they are generally interchangeable when referring to a physician in the third person. However, medico strictly refers to a practitioner of medicine. Dottore is technically a title for anyone holding a university degree in Italy, though it remains the standard word you would use to address a doctor directly in person.
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