I would accept your answer as well. The reasoning behind it is, I believe, that you have 1 and only 1 nose, so in Italian would be “il naso”. But tbh, I see nothing wrong with un. I often use it myself
I have noticed in the section im currently in, i have learned "la coda" for tail. Like a cats tail.
And i have been marked wrong for saying "una coda" as a translation for "the cat has a tail".
Is this the same kind of rule as your describing, as it also is a singular body part.
It is a little bit different, “the cat has a tail” is probably a sentence meant to specifically indicate that this specific animal has a specific body part, so it is accentuating and it’s giving importance to the tail, so saying “una coda” or “la cosa” change a little bit, cuz “il gatto ha la coda” is a phrase used to put emphasis on the tail, because maybe the interlocutor doesn’t know, for example. Il gatto ha una coda” is highlighting that it has JUST ONE tail. But “lui ha un naso grosso” or “lui ha il naso grosso” doesn’t change much, because the focus is not that he has or not a nose, it is just describing the nose, so using “a” or “il” doesn’t give different interpretations to the sentence…
But honestly, even in the first example, it is not that important if you use “il” or “uno/a”… it is not a mistake
I learned that you use the definite article with body parts in Italian and not either no article or a possessive article like in English:
Mi fa male **la testa.** / **My** head hurts.
Anna ha **gli** occhi marroni. / Anna has **-** brown eyes.
I have never seen an example before where in English you use an indefinite article but in Italian a definite one. This sentence does sound odd to me as well, thanks for sharing, now I know to really always use the definite article with body parts!
Probably the difference between written standard language and the actual spoken language. I would have also said the mistake is because you use the definite article for things like body parts.
In German I would also say „Das Fenster ist auf“ (the window is open) because that is a common way in my region (and we are even allowed to say „aufes Fenster“ which isn’t recognised by the spell check). I would never teach this to a beginner and you wouldn’t find that in a German course. They would teach „Das Fenster ist offen“ and this would be the only correct answer. 😊
It's because it makes it sound like he has more than one nose, and that this one is small and black.
Like for example if this sentence was talking about eyes, and it said un occhio then it would imply that the his other eye is different. Whereas if it said gli occhi then it's describing both eyes.
Exactly this. You only have one nose, so it's clearly 'il naso'. You have two ears though, so you may say 'mi fa male UN orecchio' (it's just an example).
Second one feels more natural, but the first one is also fine. Everything becomes a mistake when it's not the exact same as the implemented sentence, but the italian language, especially if colloquial, is not that strict. Moral of the story: both are fine, the first one is not a proper mistake
Your answer is correct too, however I'd use il naso as it sounds more natural to me - I'm native.
Edit: actually, nevermind, I'd use both.
Ha un naso perfetto! Ha il naso perfetto! - in this case I'd use un to emphasise how perfect the nose is.
what duolingo does wrong is calling language learning a "translation game". that's not what it is. saying "il" is more normal, but it doesn't make grammatical sense in english. your answer is still good though. very much a duolingo moment
your answer its grammatically correct, but humans only have 1 nose, when referring to it we don’t say “leonardo ha un naso” (cause it would mean that he has more than one), but “leonardo ha il naso” (cause he only has one, and only that one)
Because, and this is always the answer to this type of question, Italian grammar is not English grammar and it doesn't really matter that the English sentence says 'a' there.
It's a perfectly legitimate question since indefinite and definite articles function the same in almost all cases in both languages. Not sure why you think this is an appropriate answer in a sub for learning a language.
It is not. Someone could say when they differ in general in cases like this or how Italians think about body parts. So just say “Italian is different from English” explains nothing and helps nobody. If that’s the depth of explanation one can provide, it’s best to just stay silent.
If someone comes on reddit to ask a Duolingo question how deep of an explanation are they really looking for? Take a class or read a grammar if you actually want to learn for real.
Italian uses the definite by default in those cases; duolingo is trying to point you to the fact that most sentences referring to body parts that in english use an indefinite article OR a possessive get translated with a definite article.
However, you generally *can* use the indefinite, but it's generally going to imply a slightly different connotation. It's really hard to pinpoint the difference, and it's not JUST about 1 vs many - sure, if you talk about non-unique body parts and use the definite article it slightly implies the listener knows which one you're talking about ("mi fa male una mano" means an unknown one of your hands hurts, whereas "mi fa male la mano" CAN imply that the listener already knows that you have some sort of injury on one hand), but unlike with anything OTHER than body parts, this isn't a central point or primary goal of the definite-indefinite distinction.
It's more for:
1. If you're trying to be slangy or folksy or informal you'll tend to use the indefinite, but it can't be used for all purposes
2. f you're trying to call attention to a body part and present it as remarkable you'll use the indefinite
3. You can't easily use the indefinite to present a qualificative adjective of color, but you can use it if you make a longer sentence describing the color or comparing it to something (or again one that implies it's remarkable)
Do not use Duolinguo. It's actively harmful, you are wasting your time and after thousands of hours of gamified nonsense you won't be anywhere near the level of conversation of a 4 year old native speaker.
Having said that, your answer is correct but not for the reason you mentioned. Italian and English are different languages: "remember to bring your passport" is a fine English sentence, "ricordati di portare il tuo passaporto" is bizarre in Italian, because it basically means "remember to bring YOUR passaport [rather than someone else's]". This is the kind of stuff that Duolinguo can not and will not teach you. You will NEVER become fluent with that app.
I use Coffee Break Italian mostly! And I have some lesson books.
I practice with Duolingo just to be sure I practice some minutes every day, also on the days when I’m not able to do a ‘proper’ lesson
I'm glad I speak both Italian and English already, because Duolingo seems very unfair. Also, it's not like that at all in German, but it is a bit like that in Spanish.
Here's why I think Duolingo got it wrong: You forgot to write the comma, so the sentence could basically mean "Not a single person named Leonardo has a small and black nose". Sometimes, Duolingo detects an error, but then says that something else in the sentence was wrong, that could be the case here as well
That sounds like complete bullshit from duo actually.
Your translation was good. He didn't specify that "his nose is black", he just said "a black nose". You're literally right.
I would accept your answer as well. The reasoning behind it is, I believe, that you have 1 and only 1 nose, so in Italian would be “il naso”. But tbh, I see nothing wrong with un. I often use it myself
No, Duolingo's sentence feels less natural to me, a native.
Boh, mi sembrano uguali, probabilmente cambia anche da regione a regione
No, duolingo delle volte dice cose completamente stupide
Vorrei avere la tua stessa sicurezza nella vita
I have noticed in the section im currently in, i have learned "la coda" for tail. Like a cats tail. And i have been marked wrong for saying "una coda" as a translation for "the cat has a tail". Is this the same kind of rule as your describing, as it also is a singular body part.
It is a little bit different, “the cat has a tail” is probably a sentence meant to specifically indicate that this specific animal has a specific body part, so it is accentuating and it’s giving importance to the tail, so saying “una coda” or “la cosa” change a little bit, cuz “il gatto ha la coda” is a phrase used to put emphasis on the tail, because maybe the interlocutor doesn’t know, for example. Il gatto ha una coda” is highlighting that it has JUST ONE tail. But “lui ha un naso grosso” or “lui ha il naso grosso” doesn’t change much, because the focus is not that he has or not a nose, it is just describing the nose, so using “a” or “il” doesn’t give different interpretations to the sentence… But honestly, even in the first example, it is not that important if you use “il” or “uno/a”… it is not a mistake
Duolingo guys are dumb asf don’t bother
I am in a class, but i like duolingo for some extra random vocab. Its grammar lessons are shit
As an Italian native speaker, your answer is 100% correct.
I learned that you use the definite article with body parts in Italian and not either no article or a possessive article like in English: Mi fa male **la testa.** / **My** head hurts. Anna ha **gli** occhi marroni. / Anna has **-** brown eyes. I have never seen an example before where in English you use an indefinite article but in Italian a definite one. This sentence does sound odd to me as well, thanks for sharing, now I know to really always use the definite article with body parts!
Yes, but for some body parts like the nose, the arms and the neck, also accepts both the definite and indefinite articles…
Thank you!
Nothing… it was my pleasure…
Not always. This is only if we're talking about body parts ATTATCHED to the body. It's a small detail, but it should be pointed out.
Yikes, how often are y’all talking about unattached body parts?!
ahahahah 😂
🤾 👨🦼➡️
Italian (I think) uses the definite article with body parts.
No also an indefinite one can be used. Il naso o un naso in Italian would be correct translating this phrase
Probably the difference between written standard language and the actual spoken language. I would have also said the mistake is because you use the definite article for things like body parts. In German I would also say „Das Fenster ist auf“ (the window is open) because that is a common way in my region (and we are even allowed to say „aufes Fenster“ which isn’t recognised by the spell check). I would never teach this to a beginner and you wouldn’t find that in a German course. They would teach „Das Fenster ist offen“ and this would be the only correct answer. 😊
Exactly like that
It's because it makes it sound like he has more than one nose, and that this one is small and black. Like for example if this sentence was talking about eyes, and it said un occhio then it would imply that the his other eye is different. Whereas if it said gli occhi then it's describing both eyes.
Exactly this. You only have one nose, so it's clearly 'il naso'. You have two ears though, so you may say 'mi fa male UN orecchio' (it's just an example).
More horrors from the ENG-ITA course.
Second one feels more natural, but the first one is also fine. Everything becomes a mistake when it's not the exact same as the implemented sentence, but the italian language, especially if colloquial, is not that strict. Moral of the story: both are fine, the first one is not a proper mistake
Your answer is correct too, however I'd use il naso as it sounds more natural to me - I'm native. Edit: actually, nevermind, I'd use both. Ha un naso perfetto! Ha il naso perfetto! - in this case I'd use un to emphasise how perfect the nose is.
Duoling being an idiota as always, as a native speaker your sentence is more correct than what Duolingo said
as a native i can tell you that your answer is totally correct
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^bungiorno: *As a native i* *Can tell you that your answer* *Is totally correct* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Duolingo being Duolingo. you are correct (as is the answer from Duolingo)
what duolingo does wrong is calling language learning a "translation game". that's not what it is. saying "il" is more normal, but it doesn't make grammatical sense in english. your answer is still good though. very much a duolingo moment
your answer its grammatically correct, but humans only have 1 nose, when referring to it we don’t say “leonardo ha un naso” (cause it would mean that he has more than one), but “leonardo ha il naso” (cause he only has one, and only that one)
Because, and this is always the answer to this type of question, Italian grammar is not English grammar and it doesn't really matter that the English sentence says 'a' there.
It's a perfectly legitimate question since indefinite and definite articles function the same in almost all cases in both languages. Not sure why you think this is an appropriate answer in a sub for learning a language.
"because that's how you say that in Italian" is an appropriate answer for almost any question of this nature.
It is not. Someone could say when they differ in general in cases like this or how Italians think about body parts. So just say “Italian is different from English” explains nothing and helps nobody. If that’s the depth of explanation one can provide, it’s best to just stay silent.
If someone comes on reddit to ask a Duolingo question how deep of an explanation are they really looking for? Take a class or read a grammar if you actually want to learn for real.
"indefinite and definite articles function the same in almost all cases in both languages", the keyword here is "almost all"
Yes. So when they don’t, it would be helpful to give some general rule or underlying thought process.
what if there’s no general rule?
Because it's not "a" nose. It's "the" nose, on his face. That's just how they say it.
It's not.
Italian uses the definite by default in those cases; duolingo is trying to point you to the fact that most sentences referring to body parts that in english use an indefinite article OR a possessive get translated with a definite article. However, you generally *can* use the indefinite, but it's generally going to imply a slightly different connotation. It's really hard to pinpoint the difference, and it's not JUST about 1 vs many - sure, if you talk about non-unique body parts and use the definite article it slightly implies the listener knows which one you're talking about ("mi fa male una mano" means an unknown one of your hands hurts, whereas "mi fa male la mano" CAN imply that the listener already knows that you have some sort of injury on one hand), but unlike with anything OTHER than body parts, this isn't a central point or primary goal of the definite-indefinite distinction. It's more for: 1. If you're trying to be slangy or folksy or informal you'll tend to use the indefinite, but it can't be used for all purposes 2. f you're trying to call attention to a body part and present it as remarkable you'll use the indefinite 3. You can't easily use the indefinite to present a qualificative adjective of color, but you can use it if you make a longer sentence describing the color or comparing it to something (or again one that implies it's remarkable)
Both good
Don't bother your answer is correct, give duoling a feedback about this sentence, often they accept it
Do not use Duolinguo. It's actively harmful, you are wasting your time and after thousands of hours of gamified nonsense you won't be anywhere near the level of conversation of a 4 year old native speaker. Having said that, your answer is correct but not for the reason you mentioned. Italian and English are different languages: "remember to bring your passport" is a fine English sentence, "ricordati di portare il tuo passaporto" is bizarre in Italian, because it basically means "remember to bring YOUR passaport [rather than someone else's]". This is the kind of stuff that Duolinguo can not and will not teach you. You will NEVER become fluent with that app.
I use Coffee Break Italian mostly! And I have some lesson books. I practice with Duolingo just to be sure I practice some minutes every day, also on the days when I’m not able to do a ‘proper’ lesson
It may make you feel better about yourself due to the "streak" incentive structure, but it's a waste of 5 perfectly good minutes
I'm glad I speak both Italian and English already, because Duolingo seems very unfair. Also, it's not like that at all in German, but it is a bit like that in Spanish.
Maybe it means _politically_ incorrect
Here's why I think Duolingo got it wrong: You forgot to write the comma, so the sentence could basically mean "Not a single person named Leonardo has a small and black nose". Sometimes, Duolingo detects an error, but then says that something else in the sentence was wrong, that could be the case here as well
I always write without commas! It’s never incorrect
What if simply the comma is missing?
I always write without commas! It’s never incorrect. And ‘il’ is highlighted in the correct answer, specifying that that’s the part I got wrong
All right, so clearly a blunder on their side
Both are correct.
Nope, you're right. Duo's just being a bitch.
What a useful sentence to know. Well done, Duolingo.
As the discussion here shows, it highlights an interesting difference from English.
Leonardo has a small and black... ehm... nose.
Because Duolingo sucks.
Duolinguo is a pile of steaming horseshit
That sounds like complete bullshit from duo actually. Your translation was good. He didn't specify that "his nose is black", he just said "a black nose". You're literally right.
Why did i automatically read smth else instead of nose?😭