"Voi tenete la porta chiusa di notte."

Translation: You keep the door closed at night.

[marliner]

"you leave the door closed" or even "you have the door closed" should also be accepted here.

[tmac876]

In the description of chiusa, lock is the second option. So, how is "You keep the door locked at night" incorrect?

[f.formica]

I don't think it should be; one would specify "chiudi la porta a chiave" (lock the door with the key), but "la porta è chiusa" can mean both "the door is closed" and "the door is locked".

[tmac876]

Grazie. I have no problem getting these answers wrong on duolingo...it makes one think anyway so I really appreciate you taking the time to answer some of my questions, especially the way Italians actually speak and what the phrases mean. So, grazie di nuovo.

[lukman.ku]

[QUESTION]

Would it be the same, "with the key" = "con chiave"?

[KarenColle]

I am dumbstruck by the rejection of that answer, the same as yours!

[Overlordspam]

Why is "di" used here as opposed to "a" for at?

[KarenColle]

I agree with a bad translation. We would say "We keep the door closed (locked) AT night (nightime).

[Overlordspam]

Well... I answered my own question with a touch of research. Di is used in some particular grammatical constructions and di notte, di sera, d'estate, seem to be just a few. Here's the site I found the information on, rather handy! http://italian.about.com/library/fare/blfare157a.htm

[lukman.ku]

[QUESTION]

In the Occupation chapter of Italian Duolingo, I've found that the particle "di" can also mean "in the". E.g: Il postino lavora di mattina--the English translation said that "The postman works IN THE morning".

So, which one is correct? Or, is this case just an exception?

[Kerflumpy]

Are you concerned with the English or the Italian? It is English that is inconsistent here: we say IN THE morning, IN THE afternoon, but AT night.

[cjsegninir]

Can it be you "have" unstead of you "keep"?

[f.formica]

Only in Southern dialects, perhaps because of Spanish influence. But not in "standard" Italian.

[GastonDorren]

Thanks. Tenere is really one of those 'false friends' if you start from Spanish. (Not if you start from French of course.)

[Cinzia47]

why can't it be "Keep the door shut at night"?

[crescere]

why did I loose one heart by choosing both translations" closed" and "locked"? Is there such a big difference between the 2 words?

[Ariaflame]

There is if you're trying to open the door without having a key.

[miki1932]

I heard Duolingo says " de notte" like the Roman dialect.

[K2mission]

"You" is understood in English and the translation, "Keep the door closed at night. " should be accepted. Reported.

[NRizel]

We should "brainstorming" a bit, can't always rely on the word indicators anyway. Sometimes, duolingo rules

[torontella]

Cause i don't want to find strangers in my tub.

[Michael803556]

I think that Keep the door closed at night is a perfectly acceptable translation.

[Bob861211]

Why you keep closed the door at night is not correct?

[Han_og]

"you keep the door closed of a night" should be acceptable, as I understand it "of a __" to show frequency isn't too colloquial

[Donna_Diana]

I have never heard anyone say "of a night" and I am a native English speaker (US). You would say "at night. "

[GastonDorren]

I guess it's British, and somewhat (or very) old-fashioned. Read P.G. Wodehouse (1881-1975) and you'll come across it.

[Donna_Diana]

Actually I have seen it in writing. I just meant people don't actually talk that way in normal conversation.

[GastonDorren]

Ah, agreed. If I said it, I would actually feel like a Wodehouse character (which I enjoy doing, occasionally).

[NRizel]

I can imagine that..