Learn Italian: Il perimetro della fortezza segue le vecchie mura. - The fortress's perimeter follows the old exterior walls.

Il perimetro della fortezza segue le vecchie mura.

The fortress's perimeter follows the old exterior walls.

Breakdown of Il perimetro della fortezza segue le vecchie mura.

Questions & Answers about Il perimetro della fortezza segue le vecchie mura.

Why is the word for walls le mura instead of i muri?

Il muro (the wall) is a noun with two different plurals depending on its meaning. I muri (masculine) refers to standard walls, like those holding up a normal house. Le mura (feminine) is a collective plural used specifically for city walls, fortress walls, or the massive outer walls enclosing a perimeter.

Since mura ends in -a, is it treated as feminine singular?

No, it is strictly feminine plural. Even though it ends in -a (a holdover from Latin neuter plurals), you must use plural articles and adjectives with it. That is why the sentence uses le (not la) and vecchie (not vecchia). The only singular form of this word is the masculine il muro.

Could I use the word pareti for walls in this sentence?

No, le pareti (singular la parete) specifically refers to interior walls, like the dividing partitions between rooms inside a building. For heavy exterior defenses or the enclosing walls of a fortress, le mura is the correct term.

Can the verb seguire (to follow) be used for inanimate things like a perimeter?

Yes. Just like in English, Italian freely uses seguire to describe a path, a boundary, or a perimeter that physically traces along another structure or route.