29 Comments
"your house is very modern" should be acceptable, as it does not state if it's using the formal form
When using "sua" or "suo" for formal "you," it is capitalized. So "La sua casa" means "his or her house," but "La Sua casa" means "Your house" in a formal way.
I don't understand why molto is not "molta" in this sentence. Does "molto" not flip to the feminine? Is there only "molto" and "molti"? Is "molte" a thing?
Think of it this way. When "molto" is meaning "very" in a certain situation (making it an adverb), it does not change. However when "molto" is meaning "many" (making it an adjective), it MUST agree with the noun. I hope that makes sense! :)
In this case, molto is correct. Here "molto" does not vary with the subject, because you are "quantifying an adjective". Only when you are talking about quantities of concrete objects it will vary: "Molte ragazze" or "Molti ragazzi"... well it seems a reasonable explanation. At least in portuguese it goes like this. In italian I'd ask for Marziotta to proofread :)
Here, molto is used as an adverb, not an adjective. Adverbs, at least in every language I've ever encountered, never change form.
In this case it is an adverb, and does not change. When it is used as an adjective, it can have all the forms you mentioned (molto, molta, molti, and molte").
Adverbs ( "molto") are invariable as in this sentence. But in others functions they are variable.( read above)
"But in others functions they are variable" --> is not adverbs that change functions because "adverbs" are a function and "adjectives" are another function. hydra said it right: adverbs do not change, ever, but adjectives do change form. The only thing that can change functions is the word itself.
Ooooh I really like the sound of this sentence, in particular the pace, or rhythm of it. Perhaps it could be a fun sentence to use when demonstrating to a friend who does not know Italian that you do, because it is so sonorous (and the words translate easily even for someone who knows no Italian.)
We are always so quick to complain about sentence choices ;-) ... so here's our opportunity to say,
Way to go duoLingo, nice sentence choice!
Fair warning, as it turns out, not everyone understands those words you would think everyone understands. I've actually gotten in trouble with my friends because I used an Italian word I felt everyone knew what it meant because it sounded like it meant what it meant. 0_o
ah, I hadn't thought of that. I just meant this sentence had a few ringers, though. If I had to pick words, perhaps in the case my friend asks for a translation, I can explain some of these, like: :: casa blanca = white house :: right? La is easy, then; I tell them it means 'the'. Moderna is self-explanatory, etc. But you are correct, I forget that, although I never took Latin, I can 'see the roots' of the words and 'patterns of the phrases' that people discuss in the deeper discussions. But sometimes that is 'yada yada yada' to my friends, right? Thanks for the reminder ;-) By the way, I am practicing right now and found another couple of nice rhythm sentences, 'Lei mangia pane quando vuole' ... and 'Mangio un po' di frutta quando posso'. I'm telling ya, suddenly the owl's got rhythm! :-)
throughout all the duolingo lessons and exercises, "la sua" has only meant his or hers. although we all know it's not entirely correct, since yes, you can use it to mean the formal "you," it never does. so just stick with his/hers!
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The problem is: do you want to learn proper Italian or the Duolingo's Italian? While speaking you can't see the capital "S" so you have to infer from the context. Assuming that "suo/a" only refers to the 3rd singular means trouble because native speakers don't make this distinction :-)
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I'd guess it means the formal you only with capital letter "La Sua casa..." otherwise it almost always accepts the you
that's not actually true - i have sometimes used it to meant 'your' and it has been marked correct
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"La sua casa" is what you would use 99% of the times. Occasionally you may hear "la casa sua" but it's very specific and the rule is If you don't know it, don't use it ;-).
More common is the use of "casa" + possessive without the article: "casa mia"
"La sua casa è molto moderna." I translated this as, "Your house is very modern," as if i had just met someone and i was speaking in the formal way. I was given an error notice and it said the only correct meanings are, "Her house is very modern," or "His house is very modern." Also, a question: Is "molto moderna" correct, and not "molta moderna?" I'm hoping to hear from Duolingo on these questions. :-) Thanks.
I think that in my first attempt I also answered with the formal version. And I still think that it is a possible correct answer! For the difference between "molto" and "molta" you can see my other post above for the explanation.
