Question 1

The current lesson is about pseudo-cleft sentences using quello che, but this sentence uses È ... che. What is the difference?

Accepted Answer

This is a standard cleft sentence (frase scissa). It emphasizes the element right after the verb to be: È il bis di carne... (It is the second helping...). A pseudo-cleft version, which you are studying in this lesson, frames the sentence differently by fronting the action: Quello che soddisfa tutti è il bis di carne (What satisfies everyone is the second helping...). Both structures highlight the same information but use a different word order.

Question 2

If the emphasized noun were plural, would the sentence still start with È?

Accepted Answer

No, in Italian cleft sentences, the verb essere must agree with the emphasized noun. If you were talking about multiple things, like portions (le porzioni), the verb would change to match: Sono le porzioni di carne che soddisfano tutti (It is the portions of meat that satisfy everyone).

Question 3

Does the word bis only mean a "second helping" of food?

Accepted Answer

Not always. It comes from Latin meaning "twice". While fare il bis is the standard way to say "to have a second helping" at the dinner table, you will also hear it in the theater or at concerts when the audience shouts Bis! to demand an encore.

Question 4

Since soddisfare contains the root fare, why is it conjugated as soddisfa instead of soddisfà?

Accepted Answer

Soddisfare is a bit of a hybrid. While it strictly follows fare in many tenses (like the imperfect soddisfaceva), in the present indicative it has developed regular -are endings alongside the irregular fare endings. Saying soddisfa is currently the most standard and common form, though soddisfà is technically also correct.

È il bis di carne che soddisfa tutti.

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