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- "I eat with my aunt."
"I eat with my aunt."
Translation:Mangio con mia zia.
21 Comments
I was so distraught over this one I actually dug out my Italian textbook from college (Oggi In Italia, 6th edition). It states, "Possessive pronouns are generally preceded by the definite article. Use of the definite article is optional after 'essere.' The possessive pronoun 'loro' however, always requires the article." So, whereas it is not incorrect to leave "la" out here, it is also quite correct to have it in there. Preferred actually, I believe. :)
Ah-ha! After a long discussion with friends in Italy via Facebook, I think I see the problem. One does NOT use the article when referring to relatives, for example, "mia zia," "mio padre," "mio fratello," etc. However, one DOES use the article with objects, such as "la mia casa," and "il mio conto in banca." Of course had I continued LOOKING in my textbook, I would have found that distinction...instead of just settling on the first thing I saw in the vain, blind effort to prove myself right. ;)
you can also say la mia mama or le mie zie, just to add more confusion for you. Don't ask me why, i checked it with my gf yesterday whos from Rome and also studied linguistics :P Really love the feeling when you think you got the hang of the logics of the italian grammar.
When you start to crawl up from the sea bottom someone throws you an ancor xD
When prepositions (always di a da in su, sometimes con per, but never tra fra) are followed by a definite article il lo la i gli le l' they are combined to form one word called "preposizioni articolate".
mandatory use: del/dello/della/dei/degli/delle/dell'/ al/allo/alla/ai/agli/alle/all'/ dal/dallo/dalla/dai/dagli/dalle/dall'/ nel/nello/nella/nei/negli/nelle/nell'/ sul/sullo/sulla/sui/sugli/sulle/sull'/
rare: col/-/-/coi/-/-/-/ -/-/-/pei/-/-/-/
unavailable with fra and tra
In our specific situation (words in parenthesis can be omitted):
la zia / lo zio / il nonno
- (io) mangio con la zia di Maria
- (io) mangio con (la) zia Francesca
- (io) mangio con mia zia (Francesca) <-- duolingo solution
- (io) mangio con la mia zia! rare
- (io) mangio con lo zio di Maria
- (io) mangio con (lo) zio Francesco
- (io) mangio con mio zio (Francesco)
- (io) mangio con il mio zio! rare
- (io) mangio con il nonno di Maria
- (io) mangio col nonno di Maria <-- con + il = col
- (io) mangio con (il) nonno Francesco
- (io) mangio con mio nonno (Francesco)
- (io) mangio con il mio nonno! rare
542
This exercise is so inconsistent. It is putting conjunction where it doesn't belong on some and taking out in others. It would be better not even to do this since I now know less now than I did when I started. The rule DUOLINGO IS CLOSE FAMILY Do Not have conjunction distant family and items do. Brother sister mom and dad only have no conjunction before pronoun.