Breakdown of I suoi fratellastri hanno venduto l'azienda.
avere
to have
suo
his/her/Your
vendere
to sell
la
her/it (direct object)
l'azienda
the company (f)
il fratellastro
the stepbrother / the half-brother
Questions & Answers about I suoi fratellastri hanno venduto l'azienda.
Why do we use the article i before suoi fratellastri? I thought family members didn't use definite articles with possessives.
Family members drop the article only when they are singular and unmodified (like suo fratello). Here, the article is required for two reasons: the noun is plural (fratellastri), and it has a modifying suffix (-astro). Even in the singular, modified family terms always keep the article (e.g., il suo fratellastro).
How does the suffix -astro work in Italian?
For family members, the suffixes -astro and -astra are used to indicate step-relatives, making fratellastro the word for stepbrother. Outside of family terms, this suffix usually has a pejorative meaning, giving a noun a negative or poor-quality connotation (like poetastro for a bad poet).
Since suoi is masculine plural, does that mean the stepbrothers' sibling (the possessor) is male?
Not necessarily. In Italian, the possessive adjective agrees with the noun being possessed (the stepbrothers), not the possessor. So i suoi fratellastri could mean his stepbrothers, her stepbrothers, or even Your stepbrothers (formal). We only know it means his here from the provided English translation.
When should I use azienda versus società or compagnia for company?
Azienda is the most common, general term for a business, company, or enterprise. Società focuses more on the legal and structural partnership (like a corporation or LLC). Compagnia is rarely used for regular businesses; it is mostly reserved for airlines (compagnia aerea), insurance companies, or theater troupes.
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