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How to Say ‘And in March, Grandpa turns ninety.’ in Italian

E a marzo il nonno compie novant'anni.

eh ah MAHR-tsoh eel NOHN-noh KOHM-pyeh noh-VAHNT AHN-nee

[eh ah MAHR-tsoh eel NOHN-noh KOHM-pyeh noh-VAHNT AHN-nee]

🇮🇹 In Italy: Round birthdays for grandparents are big family events in Italy, usually marked with a long lunch. Expect to be invited and to bring something.

Phrase Breakdown

E a marzo

eh ah MAHR-tsoh

And in March

Italian uses 'a' with months. The Z in 'marzo' sounds like 'ts': eh a MAR-tso.

Example

E a marzo andiamo a Roma.

And in March we're going to Rome.

Words in this phrase

[eh]

and

A conjunction used to connect ideas or qualities.

Example

Nella frase E collaborativa, E aggiunge una seconda qualità positiva dell'azienda.

In the phrase 'E collaborativa,' 'E' adds a second positive quality of the company.

[ah]

Preposition used before month names to say when something happens.

Example

Parto a dicembre.

I leave in December.

marzo

[MAHR-tsoh]

March

The third month of the year; months are not capitalized in Italian.

Example

A marzo arriva la primavera.

Spring arrives in March.

il nonno

eel NOHN-noh

Grandpa

Family titles take the article: 'il nonno'. Hold the double N: eel NON-no.

Example

Il nonno legge il giornale.

Grandpa reads the newspaper.

Words in this phrase

[eel]

the

Masculine singular definite article used before a masculine singular noun.

Example

Nella frase Il tempo personale, Il introduce il concetto di tempo privato.

In the phrase 'Il tempo personale,' 'Il' introduces the concept of private time.

nonno

[NOHN-noh]

grandfather

Masculine noun for grandpa; 'nonna' is grandma.

Example

Il nonno racconta storie.

Grandpa tells stories.

compie novant'anni.

KOHM-pyeh noh-VAHNT AHN-nee

is turning ninety.

'Novant'anni' is 'novanta anni' with the vowels joined: KOM-pye no-van-TAN-ni.

Example

Oggi compie novant'anni.

Today he's turning ninety.

Words in this phrase

compie

[KOHM-pyeh]

turns (an age)

From 'compiere'; with 'anni' it means to have a birthday reaching an age.

Example

Domani compie dieci anni.

Tomorrow he turns ten.

novant'

[noh-VAHNT]

ninety

Shortened form of 'novanta' before a vowel.

Example

Ha novant'anni.

She is ninety years old.

anni

[AHN-nee]

years

Plural of 'year'; often used to talk about work experience or tenure.

Example

Gli "anni" in azienda mostrano stabilità professionale.

The "years" in a company show professional stability.

Guides for Italian learners

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