Breakdown of Sebbene sia una città moderna, Milano, simbolo del commercio, ha molta storia.
essere
to be
una
a / an (feminine)
moderno
modern
avere
to have
molto
a lot of / much
la città
the city
di
of, from
Milano
Milan
la storia
history
sebbene
although / even though
il commercio
the commerce
il simbolo
symbol
Questions & Answers about Sebbene sia una città moderna, Milano, simbolo del commercio, ha molta storia.
Why is there no article before simbolo? The English translation says "the symbol".
When a noun phrase directly describes or defines a proper noun right next to it (an appositive), Italian drops the definite article. Because Milano is a proper noun, we say Milano, simbolo del commercio rather than Milano, il simbolo del commercio.
Why do we use sia instead of è?
The conjunction sebbene (meaning although or even though) always requires the subjunctive mood. Because it introduces a concession, we must use the subjunctive sia instead of the indicative è.
In the first clause, what is the subject of sia?
The subject is Milano, which appears in the main clause. Italian frequently drops subject pronouns, and in complex sentences like this, the subject of the dependent clause is easily understood from the main clause.
Just as a refresher, why does the sentence use molta instead of molto?
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