26 Comments
"you leave the door closed" or even "you have the door closed" should also be accepted here.
In the description of chiusa, lock is the second option. So, how is "You keep the door locked at night" incorrect?
I don't think it should be; one would specify "chiudi la porta a chiave" (lock the door with the key), but "la porta รจ chiusa" can mean both "the door is closed" and "the door is locked".
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.
I agree with a bad translation. We would say "We keep the door closed (locked) AT night (nightime).
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
[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?
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.
Only in Southern dialects, perhaps because of Spanish influence. But not in "standard" Italian.
Thanks. Tenere is really one of those 'false friends' if you start from Spanish. (Not if you start from French of course.)
why did I loose one heart by choosing both translations" closed" and "locked"? Is there such a big difference between the 2 words?
293
"You" is understood in English and the translation, "Keep the door closed at night. " should be accepted. Reported.
We should "brainstorming" a bit, can't always rely on the word indicators anyway. Sometimes, duolingo rules
"you keep the door closed of a night" should be acceptable, as I understand it "of a __" to show frequency isn't too colloquial
I have never heard anyone say "of a night" and I am a native English speaker (US). You would say "at night. "
I guess it's British, and somewhat (or very) old-fashioned. Read P.G. Wodehouse (1881-1975) and you'll come across it.
Actually I have seen it in writing. I just meant people don't actually talk that way in normal conversation.
Ah, agreed. If I said it, I would actually feel like a Wodehouse character (which I enjoy doing, occasionally).
