"Abbiamo troppi posti a tavola."
Translation:We have too many places at the table.
48 CommentsThis discussion is locked.
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".
1034
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".
1275
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. :)
363
"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"
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.
954
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?.
1275
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'. :)