Breakdown of Il ragazzo è noto per la sua agilità.
essere
to be
il ragazzo
boy
suo
his/her/Your
per
for / in order to / because of
noto
known
l'agilità
the agility
Questions & Answers about Il ragazzo è noto per la sua agilità.
Why do we use per after noto in this sentence?
The adjective noto (known) requires the preposition per to introduce the reason someone or something is known. This is a common pattern for adjectives expressing fame or reputation; similar words like famoso (famous) or celebre (celebrated) also pair with per followed by a noun or an infinitive verb.
Could I use conosciuto instead of noto here?
Yes, conosciuto works perfectly and also takes the preposition per, as in conosciuto per la sua agilità. However, noto is slightly more formal and elevates the tone of the sentence.
Why is there a la before sua agilità when English just says 'his agility'?
In Italian, possessive adjectives like sua almost always require a definite article before them. The main exception is when referring to a singular, unmodified family member (like sua madre). Since agilità is a regular noun, it must take the article to become la sua agilità.
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