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- "Mancano solo ottanta chilome…
51 Comments
99
I don't understand the use of "mancano" in this sentence. Can someone please explain it to me?
Mancare, needs to be dealt with like "piacere." Just a small group of verbs that you have to think of in this way. Check out http://italian.about.com/od/verbs/a/italian-verb-piacere.htm
185
"There are only eighty kilometers left to go"is NOT accepted, but "there are only eighty kilometres to go" IS accepted. I think these are equivalent statements and both should be allowed.
Are you really expecting those who construct duolingo to demonstrate breadth of vocabulary or even depth of knowledge of grammar? I have worked 4 languages on this site and found each very sadly lacking in depth of knowledge of synonyms in all languages. Even the first definition which appears for a foreign word in a dictionary is often rejected and the solution given not even in the dictionary. Correct English grammar answers are occasionally rejected and incorrect grammar given as the correct response.
1129
I received the following response to my answer
You used the plural "kilometres" here, instead of the singular "kilometre". It is only eighty kilometre
In usual English, as opposed to the scientific use of units, the plural would be used, as it was in the Italian.
1129
I now put
"There remains only eighty kilometre" using the singular as requested.
"There is only eighty kilometre left." was the proposed answer. I cannot see any difference in the meanings of these answers.
It is, but I believe we do not know at all what the subject of the sentence is. The verb is in third person plural because the 80 kilometers are missing. I translate literally to 'are missed, 80 kms', but we do not know by whom. They could be missed by me .. 'Mi mancano 80 kms' or by us, 'Ci mancano 80 kms.', or as you suggest, by them, 'Gli mancano 80 kms.'
1106
Native speakers: would you phrase this sentence like this or would you use "rimanere" instead of "mancare"
364
I do not understand why Duolingo suggests that I use singular "kilometer" in my answer. The correct answer is "Only eighty kilometers are left." Can any one explain pleas. Than you.
647
It's just not how you would normally say it in English; the more common way would be as MarkLerno and MaxSpeak phrased it in their comments.
591
'remain' is the third person plural of the verb, qualifying 'kilometres'. It appears that Duo is using the verb 'mancare' (to miss, to lack) in favour of 'rimanere' (to remain). 'mancare' has the construction 'subject, indirect object, verb: literally 'something is lacking to someone'. I hope that this helps.
[If French is available to you, 'manquer' (to miss, to lack) works in the same way.
For example, 'il me manque' (I miss him) - literally 'he is lacking to me'.]