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- "Scrivo il cognome della mia …
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Should it just be "I write my family name"? "My family's surname" sounds redundant...
If the rule is not to use definite articles with family relations but use it only in plural cases, why is it "della" (di+la) and not "scrivo il cognome di mia famiglia"? Is the word "famiglia" not counted as a relationship word?
The "rule" has exceptions; for instance "mia madre" (my mother) has no article but "la mia mamma" (my mom) is preferred by dictionaries to "mia mamma", and "casa mia" (my home) is more common than "la mia casa". An interesting link is http://grammatica-italiana.dossier.net/grammatica-italiana-06.htm but it's in Italian so you'd need some translating :/
In this case, I would guess that la mia famiglia isn't necessarily an exception to the rule, as family is treated like a plural case (as family has multiple members)
Just like English, family can be many members, but it is singular. "My family IS nice", not "My family are nice"
in English, we talk about the family name, not surname, since a family can't have a first name! "I'm defending the honour of my family's surname!" would be laughed out of court.
Family surname? Odd choice, is that by chance for testing, or is this valid in Italian? His surname, alone in English works, no need for "family"
It accepted "i write my family's last name" which is much more natural to me than using surname.
But in some cultures the first name is the family name! And if a family name has more than one name, then it's a double-barrel surname!
I am returning to a question posted five years ago, because I do not think it was answered. The sentence construction for 'I write my family's surname' is, in Italian: I write the surname OF my family. Therefore, what isn't the answer: Scrivo il congnome DI mia famiglia. The answer given by DL is: Scrivo il cognome DELLA mia famiglia. Doesn't della mean of the (di+la). The is not used in this sentence - it is a straight up of -- so what della not just di?
992
In italian you need to use the article in front of the possessive adjective.
You can't say mia famiglia; you need to say la mia famiglia
Finally! An easy and comprehensible answer that really helped me. Thank you so much for your contribution.
- 1500
Still no answer to this really basic problem? Of course "1 write the surname of my family" is correct in English
Family name used to be correct!!! Again - I'm not here to learn English!!!!
"I write my surname" should be right. "I write my family's surname" sounds very redundant to me
famiglia f (plural famiglie)
family
household
"famglia" is not a family member, thus article is required for the following Italian phrases.
• Dov'è la tua famiglia?
• [ Where is your family? ]
• Scrivo il cognome della
mia famiglia.
• [ I write my family's
surname. ]
• [ I write the surname
of my family. ]*
:) KK September 2019
My suggestion was I write a surname of my family. An indefinite article before word surname seems ok for me and should be considered as a right translation even if there is a definite article in Italian :)Thank you :)
I wrote my families surname was marked wrong. My english spell checker even suggests families. I need to learn English again.
The sound on the last word ("famiglia") drops and makes it really difficult to hear
Would A Cognome Be Considered A Type Of Nome In Italian, Like How A Surname Is A Type Of Name In English? If So, I Feel The "Cog" Part Here Isn't Necessary, As Surely The "Della Mia Famiglia" Part, Plus Context, Would Indicate It's A Surname? I've Never Heard Of A Family, Outside Royalty, Having One First Name, And Even Then Usually People Have Their Own Names But Would Change It When They Become King.
- 992
Not sure what you mean here (and the capitalization of every word makes reading very difficult) but nome is the first name and cognome Is the last name or family name.
So everyone has a nome e cognome, even royalty.
- 346
I wrote, " I write down my family's surname" because it make more sense in English to include the word "down". But I was marked incorrect! Why? "I write my family's surname" did not sound right.
I don't understand why it is "della" and not " di mia" .. I'm always mixing it up
- 346
You are NOT alone! So many of us are in the same boat, looking for rhyme or reason for this. It makes English look so much more easy to learn!
- 161
The new reader is pronouncing il as i Ive missed that same word least 3 times since the new female reader
- 932
The differences between pronunciation regarding either Cognomi or Cognome are so slight it is infuriating to think I understand the sentence only to fail it, again!
According to all previous lessons on possessive nouns, it should read, "Scrivo il cognome di mia famiglia"
- 992
Please make a habit of reading existing comments.
This has already been asked and answered (6th comment from the top and more).
surely, you adjudicators should know that my "I write the surname of my famiglia" is a typo. Surely you know that I know "family" is the English for the Italian "famiglia". are you totally bereft of imagination?
Settle down tiger, there's mistakes littered throughout Duo. However, these minute mistakes are vastly outweighed by the knowledge Duo provides.
