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- Topic: Italian >
- "Adesso sono le undici."
23 Comments
Oh, now I understanded. I didn't know the whole sentence. Ya, now it's easier. Thank you!
I can't understand, it's so confused. And how could I know that it was, if nothing was explained about?
Don't forget 'sono' can mean 'I am' or 'they are.' [Io] sono = I am, [Loro] sono = they are. As the next word [le] is plural, it tells you that this 'sono' must be plural. Literally, 'they are the eleven' or in English 'It is eleven o' clock,' - and just as logical!!!
eg. Sono un uomo, sono uomini - I am a man, they are men.
I hope that helps. 17/01/2015
Yes. Context is definitely key in this exercise. The only singular hour [one o' clock] translates in the singular - e` l'una - and all the others are plural - sono le due - etc., etc.. The thing is that although 'they are eleven' is a valid translation, it is not how to say the time in Italian. You just can't translate the time word for word, either way. In English we say 'it is one of the clock,'[contracted to o' clock] which I'm sure is just as confusing to Italians who are learning English. I hope that helps, ciao. 17 June 2016