Breakdown of Il veleno può uccidere un uomo in poche ore.
l'uomo
the man (m)
l'ora
the hour (f)
il veleno
the poison
uccidere
to kill
Questions & Answers about Il veleno può uccidere un uomo in poche ore.
Why do we use in poche ore here instead of tra poche ore?
In Italian time expressions, in indicates the duration it takes for an action to happen (meaning 'within' a few hours). If we used tra or fra, it would mean the action will occur after a few hours have passed from now. Because we are talking about how long the poison takes to do its job, in is the correct choice.
English says 'in a few hours'. Why doesn't Italian use an article before poche?
The Italian word poco (and its feminine plural poche) directly translates to 'few' or 'not many'. Italian doesn't use an indefinite article before it like English does with 'a few'. If you wanted to say 'some hours', you might use alcune ore or qualche ora, but poche ore specifically emphasizes that it is a short amount of time.
Could veleno also mean 'venom' in this context?
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