"Mia nonna vive da sola."

Translation: My grandmother lives alone.

[devaryap]

Why is this sentence is "da sola" necessary instead of "sola"?

[f.formica]

"Da solo" is closer to "on one's own", "solo" is alone; both would work, just like in English, although "da solo" is better because it implies independence rather than loneliness.

[NajahMaher]

Thank you very much for your explaining @f.formica !

[Danmoller]

Would then "on his/her own" be better than "alone"?

[ClassiDuo]

Or "by herself"--it seems that both "on one's own" and "by one's self" can reflect the self-sufficiency meaning, whereas "alone" (or even stronger, "all alone") emphasizes the loneliness aspect.

[Jeffrey855877]

Perhaps the da is to help distinguish solo/a/i/e (an adjectival phrase) from the adverb solo, which can mean "only", e.g.,:
vive solo per praticare il violino = "He only lives to practice the violin"
vs.
vive da solo per praticare il violino = "He lives alone to practice the violin"

[birkos]

Granny still not accepted

[Carissa789117]

In the woods. Now i must bring her a basket of food while wearing my bright red cape.

[Bhanu_Pratap_]

Nooo, not all heroes wear cape. Wearing your underpants over the trousers would suffice.

[egregor1]

what's wrong with Gran?

[RebeccaSalter]

Does not accept "Nan" either.

[FrankAtkin1]

one can also say " my granny lives alone".

[Han_og]

also "nan"

[BampaOwl]

Grandma is accepted

[rogbagnall]

In English 'granny' or 'grannie' is also often used

[k8italiana]

Still not accepted 2019

[justakoalabear]

What's her address? I'll keep her company. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[Jeffrey855877]

That is so nice of you!

[StevenMcBrien]

It doesn't accept "gran". Jesus.

[Gay400641]

We would say Nan or Gran in Uk why is it not accepted

[Paul167658]

Nan means grandmother