Answers
May 14, 2012 - 03:33 PM
Salve! In Italian both "Mine" and "My" are referred to through the words "Mia" or "Mio", depending on the gender of the noun. So in that sentence, "e dopo alla mia" is really "And then, to mine". The "Alla" there is a contraction for "A la" which usually means "To the", but it can just plainly mean "To" when it is followed by a possessive (e.g.):
Daglielo alla mia figlia -- Give it (Daglielo) to (alla) my (mia) daughter (figlia)
Vieni alla mia festa? --- Are you coming (Vieni) to (alla) my (mia) party (festa)?
Hope this helps! A presto!
Daglielo alla mia figlia -- Give it (Daglielo) to (alla) my (mia) daughter (figlia)
Vieni alla mia festa? --- Are you coming (Vieni) to (alla) my (mia) party (festa)?
Hope this helps! A presto!
May 14, 2012 - 04:00 PM
wow, that seems difficult. how does one know when to use 'alla' and just 'a'?. i'm actually in session 2/5 now and have another question that also relates to this. i took a screen shot, too bad we can't post photos in here. thanks for your help btw.
May 14, 2012 - 04:04 PM
actually instead of creating a new post, i'll just post here since it's related. so here's the sentence question: "yesterday, (i) went to my colleague's house". i thought the answer would be, "ieri, sono andato alla casa del mio collega" but the correct answer came up as, "ieri, sono andato a casa del mio collega". (yesterday, i went to house of my colleague??) just doesn't seem to make sense. and also in conjunction with my previous post; how do i grasp the different usages of "a" and "alla"? thanks again!
May 14, 2012 - 04:36 PM
Hi again! Yes, it can be confusing, but I'll try to explain it:
In English you use "To the" when you're referring to a generic third-person, like a teacher, employee, president, etc. (e.g.: "give it to the teacher") or to a generic place, such as a stadium (e.g.: "let's go to the stadium"). So in this case in Italian it is the same as in English and you need the contractions "A + Il, La, Lo, Gli, Le --- Al, Alla, Allo, Agli, Alle". Which as you know the articles which follows the "A" change to match the gender and number of the noun they are referring to:
Give it to the teacher --- Daglielo AL professore (professore is masculine, singular)
Let's go to the stadium --- Andiamo ALLO stadio (Stadio is singular, neutral)
Now, when you're referring to a place you own, or to a place which is of someone you know, or you want to give something to somebody you know or is close to you, then "a" and "alla" are both admissible and interchangeable for that purpose. You can say "Sono andato alla casa" as well as "Sono andato a casa". Also "Daglielo alla mia figlia" as well as "Daglielo a mia figlia". As far as I can say, in Italian, "a casa /a mia figlia" is more frequently found in colloquial speech, and "alla casa / alla mia figlia" would be more formal. However, you will hear and read both.
Hope this helps!
In English you use "To the" when you're referring to a generic third-person, like a teacher, employee, president, etc. (e.g.: "give it to the teacher") or to a generic place, such as a stadium (e.g.: "let's go to the stadium"). So in this case in Italian it is the same as in English and you need the contractions "A + Il, La, Lo, Gli, Le --- Al, Alla, Allo, Agli, Alle". Which as you know the articles which follows the "A" change to match the gender and number of the noun they are referring to:
Give it to the teacher --- Daglielo AL professore (professore is masculine, singular)
Let's go to the stadium --- Andiamo ALLO stadio (Stadio is singular, neutral)
Now, when you're referring to a place you own, or to a place which is of someone you know, or you want to give something to somebody you know or is close to you, then "a" and "alla" are both admissible and interchangeable for that purpose. You can say "Sono andato alla casa" as well as "Sono andato a casa". Also "Daglielo alla mia figlia" as well as "Daglielo a mia figlia". As far as I can say, in Italian, "a casa /a mia figlia" is more frequently found in colloquial speech, and "alla casa / alla mia figlia" would be more formal. However, you will hear and read both.
Hope this helps!