"She does not fit in that car."
Translation:Lei non ci sta in quella macchina.
81 CommentsThis discussion is locked.
"ci" is the pronoun used to represent he/she/it. It is also used in a context where you're trying to talk about a place. For example "ci va" would mean he/she/it goes there. In this sentence, "lei" adds an emphasis to the she and "ci sta" means stay there. Where you might ask? In that car (in qualla macchina).
Ci is part of the pronominal verb starci. Go to https://www.wordreference.com/iten/starci, then select the Collins tab, and read definition 7. Also read SeanPetrik's comment below, which nails it.
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Ci is not the pronoun representing he/she/it. Refer to SeanPetrik's post below for the correct explanation.
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Interesting problem for a psychologist. This Idea of a too fat woman also came to my mind first. But why is this the first though from all of us? It could also be a tiny car, no adult would fit in or it could be full, etc.
There is a particular class of verbs in Italian called 'pronomial verbs', which are essentially verbs with pronouns attached. Their meaning changes, becoming somewhat different from the meaning of the individual parts that make up the verbs.
One of these verbs is the verb 'starci', a merge of 'stare' and 'ci' (it, there, here), which is being used in the sentence. It has two meanings, as far as I know, either 'to fit' or 'to agree with'.
So, 'ci sta', either means, 'he/she/it fits (in there)', or 'he/she agrees with me'.
I might not be entirely correct, so anyone who's better than me in Italian, please feel free to correct me.
So 'pronomial verbs' are essentially idiomatic, since they are not necessarily equal to the sum of their parts? I came across a strange phrase just a while ago that someone identified for me as 'andarsene'. I had assumed they were simply smashing together the words found in the phrase, but I'll assume that was a pronomial verb as well.
It would be helpful for learners if Duolingo would shed a bit of light on these things. Teaching that "Ci" is a first person plural pronoun, then introducing a situation that contradicts this without an explanation of the exception only hampers the learning process. Trial and error is an effective learning tool only if the error is understood, otherwise it is simply bumping into walls until you reach the exit.
Yep, that's pretty much the case. Think of it like how "nonetheless" or "however" mean more than simply saying "none the less" or "how ever." Or how "anymore" and "any more" mean different things.
I found these links, maybe they could help:
https://icebergproject.co/italian/2016/11/pronominal-verbs-in-italian/
And, yeah, I really agree, it gets incredibly frustrating when you keep being dinged "incorrect" simply for trying to learn something that isn't at all straightforward.
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In English, we have a lot of verbs that change their meaning (really, become a new verb) when combined with a preposition. For instance, "to count something" is straightforward; 1, 2, 3 etc. But "to count on something or someone" is to rely on them, and "to count out", as in "count me out", means to omit. Similarly, "to act" and "to act out" (misbehave) are different verbs with entirely different meanings, as are "to turn" and "to turn down" (refuse).
This structure seems similar, to me.
In English, these verb+preposition verbs are sometimes called "phrasal verbs". The term "pronomial", if used at all, refers to a reflexive formation.
You are right, Brett. There is a group of special verbs like andersene that have their one meaning. Andarsene for example can mean leaving and getting angry. There is also farcela (to succeed) and prendersela (caring about something) and fregarsene (not caring about it at all).
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Thanks for this, just what I was looking for ... I can't remember ever coming across the verb 'starci' previously.
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Wow!!! If I ever visit Malta, do they also speal Italian? It sounds like a very special place.
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This was multiple choice for me. I was presented with:
Sta quella Sta nel quella Sta in quella
I chose "nel". Why was it wrong?? Aren't in and nel interchangeable??
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Nel = in+il, or "in the." In this sentence, you need to say "in that," which is "in quella". All the prepositions are like this - nel, nella, negli, nei, and nell' = in THE, Dal, dalla, dagli, dai, and dall' = from THE, Sul, sulla, sugli, sui, and sull' = on THE, del, della, degli, dei, and dell = of THE, and al, alla agli, ai and all' = to THE. This course is very bad about getting this across, because the matching sections treat them all as if they only mean the preposition without the article
Does she physically not fit in the car or does the style of the car not suit her? I don't understand this translation. Could someone please clarify what is meant in the Italian portion. If the translation is "fit" as in physical, how is that determined by this sentence?