"Cosa significa il colore verde?"
Translation:What does the color green mean?
69 CommentsThis discussion is locked.
386
That is not true. What means the color green is just fine for English. It may sound strange because it is a bit more archaic, but it still works
879
Hmm, I don't know... I'm still not entirely convinced ''what'' does not completely work here and is therefore totally wrong.
What means this rejection of a perfectly correct, albeit archaic, phrase?
Note the above phrase is constructed in the same format as my response to the set phrase, and you must have understood it to have read thus far.
You cannot have it both ways Duolingo. Either it is correct for us students to translate all parts of set phrases as written, or it is not!!!!!
Please be consistent, that is what we require from our teachers, how else can we learn when you move the goalposts?
The literal translation of this phrase as written is "What means the colour green?" This is, apparently, not what the setter requires, they are looking for "What does the colour green mean". In spoken English both phrases are understood to have the same meaning. D/L please update your idiomatic phrasebook to include these type of expressions.
103
I think that, in general, your comment is correct (adjective + noun). But the English language is full of contradictions. In this case, either 'green color' or 'color green' would work perfectly well. Your example of 'yellow balloon' is perfect … one would definitely NOT say 'balloon yellow.'
103
I'm trying to figure out your question. Are you asking why 'the' is in the sentence? 'Il colore' means 'the color.' 'Cosa significa il colore verde' can be directly translated to 'What signifies the color green', or in a less stilted way, 'What does the color green signify/mean.'
Did I understand your question correctly?