85 Comments
"Your":
Singular Feminine: "la vostra"
Singular Masculine: "il vostro"
Plural Feminine: "le vostre"
Plural Masculine: "i vostri"
1947
Yes, the two are related, although relatively few nouns have both a masculine and a feminine form.
Thank you, thank you, thank you......Grazie Finally...........I get it!
This is what happens when you carry your knife in your boot rather than a proper sheath.
Shouldn't it be tuo instead of vostro? I thought vostro was for plural "you" as in when you address a group?
I guess it is conceivable a group of people are all holding one knife incapable of cutting...
Since not everyone says "you all" or "yall" it makes sense. If you were to borrow a knife and address the couple who owns it with "your knife does not cut" it works, hence "vostro." But if you were just addressing one person then "tuo" would be used.
I think, that it would be an acceptable sentense, said to a waiter in a restaurant. Assuming that the knife is not a personal belonging of the waiter.
I'm pretty sure it's just because it's polite to say vostro instead of tuo. I know it's like that in French
- 1947
In Italian, "tu" vs "voi" is strictly singular vs plural. If you want to be polite in Italian, you would use "Lei" or "Loro".
- 1947
Thank you for the sources.
They do confirm what you say, but they also point out that it's uncommon/regional.
Yes, if you go to Southern Italy you can hear some people who say voi as a formal pronoun. But in the Northern or Central Italy people only say lei as a formal pronoun.
I am native speaker. By the way you can check it at the following links:
https://www.pimsleurapproach.com/resources/italian/grammar-guides/formal-informal/
http://www.orbilat.com/Languages/Italian/Grammar/Italian-Verb-Forms_of_address.html
For 'tis a literary knife, stronger than any sword or shield, the pen!
- 1947
Yes, if you were addressing only one person. "Il vostro" indicates you are addressing multiple people.
It says that is "won't cut" instead of "don't cut". I got it wrong because of that...
Slice could also be used here as a correct word. I was under the impression taglio/taglia meant slice as well and slice is the exact same as cut.
No, because slicing is not exactly the same. You can cut a tomato without slicing it. Slicing is when the cutting object goes all the way through. A cut could only go about half-way through.
I've heard that voi is not often used these days as a formal you. Instead italians use capital Lei now..? And the possessive is declined just like "his/her/its". So this sentence could also read "Il Suo coltello non taglia."
Oh. We only brought two knifes to the picnic. I need to cut this loaf of bread. You need a knife for the butter? Great! Here...your knife doesn't cut...that's why I gave it to you.
trying to figure out when one uses vostro as opposed to tuo,,can anyone answer that for me? Thanks
- 1947
TU - the singular "you"
The following are declensions of the possessive form ("your"):
il tuo - your singular masculine thing
i tuoi - your plural masculine things
la tua - your singular feminine thing
le tue - your plural feminine things
VOI - the plural "you"
The following are declensions of the possessive form ("your"):
il vostro - your singular masculine thing
i vostri - your plural masculine things
la vostra - your singular feminine thing
le vostre - your plural feminine things
When it's the possessive adjective (your thing), the article is mandatory.
When it's the possessive pronoun (yours), the article is optional.
http://www.italianlanguageguide.com/grammar/possessive-adjective.asp
- 1947
That makes it an adjective that derives from the past participle of the verb.
Just checked the the conjugate list for taglia. Okay got it but why not tagliete. (spelling?)
- 1947
"Your knife" is third person singular (he/she/it), thus "taglia". The conjugation "tagliate" is for second person plural (y'all).
It isn't future time, it is present simple (presente) of the verb tagliare at the 3rd person singular. La carta taglia: Paper cuts.
Gotti...I think 'il coltello' is clearly the knife, that is, the whole utensil, implement, etc. while 'la lama' (assuming you're not referring to one at your local zoo or atop a mountain somewhere in Nepal), is the "business end" of a knife, i.e., the actual blade.. Examples of its use are: lama di rasoio (razor blade) and lama di spada (blade of a sword).
eng.alexperes: It'd either be "your knife won't cut," which is a contraction of "will not" or "your knife doesn't cut," which is short for "does not". "Don't" would be the contraction of the plural "do not" and so incorrect here.
I said can't cut, but the correct answer is does not cut, so how would you say can't cut?
- 1947
Il vostro coltello non può tagliare. può is "it can" and "tagliare" is the infinitive "to cut".
RoinujNosde: It's both. It's the general word for "knife", however one would use it.
vanBosheide: It could be. 'vostro' is 'your' plural, while 'tuo' is 'your' singular. it's a matter of whom you're addressing.
Jordyn...In English you need the auxiliary verb 'does' which you don't need in Italian. You can say: "The knife cuts." Or to be emphatic: "The knife does cut". In a negative sentence however, you can only say: "The knife does not cut." "The knife cuts not" is only seen/heard in poetic, archaic, or satirical writing.
iremdmrbs: The translation I see above is "does not cut" which certainly can be contracted to "doesn't cut". If you're given "won't cut" that's ok too since 'doesn't' and 'won't' in a context like this are expressing the same idea.
It's so anoying that the whole answer is wrong only because i didn't put a dot at the end of the sentence
- 1947
Duo doesn't usually pay much attention to punctuation. Sounds like it glitched on you, because if the only thing you did was omit the period at the end, then it ought to have marked it correct--not even "almost correct".
NenoPetric: Are you sure that was the only think omitted? I often omit the period at the end, even question marks, or exclamation marks and so long as the rest is correct, Duo marks them correct. It might very well me, I can't tell since you've not included what exactly it is you wrote, but it could well be you had a typo or some other minor mistake.
Don't get me wrong,but I think that whose knife does not or never cuts is a miser who never throws old things away or he is fond of collecting knives.Who agrees with me??
