Breakdown of Ho notato una forte ostilità tra i due fratelli.
una
a / an (feminine)
il fratello
the brother
due
two
tra
between, among
forte
strong
notare
to notice
l'ostilità
the hostility (f)
Questions & Answers about Ho notato una forte ostilità tra i due fratelli.
Since this lesson is about the verb avercela (to be angry/have a grudge), how could I express this sentence's meaning using that verb?
Why is the adjective forte placed before the noun ostilità instead of after?
While most descriptive adjectives go after the noun in Italian, placing a common adjective like forte before the noun gives it more emotional weight and emphasis. It highlights the speaker's subjective impression of just how intense the hostility was, rather than stating it as a dry, clinical fact.
Why is the definite article i used in tra i due fratelli? Doesn't that translate to "between the two brothers"?
Yes, it does! The English translation says "between the two brothers", but native English speakers often default to just saying "between two brothers". In Italian, it is crucial to use the definite article before a number when you are referring to a specific, previously established group. Tra due fratelli would mean "between two (random/any) brothers".
Could I use fra instead of tra here?
Yes, absolutely. Tra and fra both mean "between" or "among" and are completely interchangeable. Italians usually just pick the one that sounds better with the surrounding words to avoid repeating sounds (euphony). For example, to avoid saying fra fratelli, people often prefer tra fratelli, but since there's an i due in the middle here, both tra and fra sound perfectly fine.
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