"Abbiamo troppi posti a tavola."
Translation:We have too many places at the table.
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1638
I said, "We have too many places at table" - without "the" - and got it wrong again. I really think it should be accepted - it does make sense in English and IS used sometimes. I heard it yesterday in a BBC reading of Charlotte Bronte's "Shirley".
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Once again "too many places at table " was not accepted by DL. I can't understand why this is so, since it means exactly the same thing as "too many places at the table".
why isn't it "a tavolo" ? is there any difference in usage between tavola and tavolo ?
"Leggere il giornale a tavola è maleducato. Leggere il giornale al tavolo va bene." The Italians don't make it easy for us ;)
my italian teacher told us that tavola is the family table and tavolo is just any table.
Why italian people don't use defininite article before noun in that sentence "a tavola" for example "alla tavola" or "al tavolo". In this case we are talking about specific table.
It's idiomatic, like 'in cucina'. I don't think there's a reason, it's just one of those quirks of language.
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It happens sometimes when the entire extended family is gathering at my mom's house for dinner. We miscount how many cousins, nieces and nephews, etc. are coming and realize we have set too many or too few places at the table. :)
I was marked wrong for "we have too many places at table." which is perfectly good English. I was marked wrong for leaving out the "the" which does not appear in the Italian sentence/
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"tavola" is a feminine noun
"al" = a+il ("il" is a masculine article)
you can say:
1) "al tavolo" (you cannot say "a̶ ̶t̶a̶v̶o̶l̶o̶")
2) "a tavola" (you cannot say "a̶l̶l̶a̶ ̶t̶a̶v̶o̶l̶a̶")
But if you mean "table" as a table set for lunch or dinner, you can only say "A TAVOLA"
Not sure why "at table" should be marked wrong? "At table" is an English expression pretty much directly equivalent to "a tavola", it's slightly old fashioned I guess, but definitely still used.
I left out 'the' and the program tells me I need it. I have been speaking English for nearly 60 years and know this is not true. So where does it come from?
It comes from being taught by an American whose English is not native. I spend my time learning Americanisms to avoid being marked down.
In UK English we say 'at table' if we refer to places for diners set at a dining table. We would say 'on the table' or 'by the table' if we are referring to objects placed on or around the table. Only occasionally would we say 'at the table', in circumstances such as 'there is a man standing at the table', but even then it would be better to say 'by the table'. In this instance we are clearly talking about place settings, so 'at table' is correct.
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Hmmm...
That may be a regional or class thing... I'd very rarely say "we have too many places at table" - "...at the table", yup.
Not a class thing - its received English, or BBC English. As another contributor has already said, its the classic form in English, and found in Jane Austen, etc. You may be thinking of the the Yorkshire dialect where 'the' is implied but not fully spoken (such as literally at ' table) with a gluttoral stop replacing the 'the', but I don't think this is being so subtle. 'At table' is good Oxford English. The question "Are you at table', for example, means 'have you sat down to eat?.
'The' is optional in English in this sort of context, and really sounds very childish here.
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In English, 'too much' is used for an uncountable amount, such as 'too much milk' or 'too much anger'. If you are talking about something of which there is a certain number, something you can count, you use 'too many', as in 'too many cars' or 'too many places at the table'. :)
Thanks,I know that difference but I looked on this in wrong way I was thinking about space on the table.
In general (not always) much is used in English with singular nouns and many is used with plural nouns.
My understanding is that tavolo is a piece of furniture, and tavola is a place the family gathers to eat together. It's kind of nuanced -- with tavolo being less personal than tavola. So far this understanding has served me well in maintaining my hearts, though I'm open to correction.
Correct!...but the one oddity is that when you are asking for or booking a dining table at a restaurant, they use tavolO!!
I think troppi = too many, which denotes excess. "Many" will just mean numerous.
I'm an ancient Scotswoman and I say both at table and at the table are correct.
Why "a tavolo" means "at the table", not "at table"? Shouldn't it be "al tavolo" in this case?
Can someone explain what this sentence means? Does this mean we have empty spots at the table or ??
Anyone else totally "pxxxxd" off with their phone changing words, aka, predictive text? Tavola changed to tavolo and naturally I got marked incorrect. Grrr.
