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costume - 1. a style of dress, including accessories and hairdos, especially that peculiar to a nation, region, group, or historical period. 2. dress or garb characteristic of another period, place, person, etc., as worn on the stage or at balls.
custom - 1. a habitual practice; the usual way of acting in given circumstances. 2. habits or usages collectively; convention.
I confused these two words in my own native language (English). Apparently the Italian word does mean both. I had translated this as, "It's not my custom" however, I should have know, doing articles of clothing, it was meant in a sense of clothing. I posted the English definitions for anyone else that may have stumbled across this.
I translated costume as 'suit' because that's what it is in French and it was accepted as correct
What does "costume" means in this sentence? can it be translated as a suit or something like that?
Not really. Costume in this sentence is a costume or a swimsuit. I can't think of an equivalent of "outfit" in Italian.. it's usually "outfit" as well or completo (but it's not exactly the same thing).
So, this sentence implies the context could be a costume for a show or a event as for instance a teatrical performance, right?
My challenge contains the phrase, "il costume". Shouldn't it be "Le Costume"?
No, because it is not speaking in the plural. Il costume is "the costume" singular. Limone and Leone (lemon and lion) are similar in this sense in that they end with an "e", but are male, the article being Il. Il leone, il limone, etc.
No problem, I remember being a little confused at this, but I just went with the flow and found that there are actually quite a few singular masculine words that end in e.
Yes, I've been doing some auxiliary research to try to sharpen my understanding of masculine and feminine. While confusing, I think it's one of the most charming (and useful) qualities of Italian. It makes every sentence like a mini-codex, chock full of hints to help you along. Just a matter of understanding the rules. ^^
Yes, you'll definitely have to have some outside help. I use a website called conversationexchange.com, it's a great way for people to help each other learn a language, and most Italian speakers are happy to help, and you could help them with their English. That's how I learned the rules, whenever I have a question, I just ask my Italian friend. You might want to check it out.
why is it necessary here to use 'il mio' for the possessive when in other sentences using the verb 'ho' in the first person singular does not require any possessives? Is it just emphatic? Or is it because a costume is something that can be yours, mine, hers, his, etc.? In a previous sentence: "i have a snake in my boot" using the possessive 'il mio' was counted wrong. So why is it needed here?
