How to Say ‘It's a very old tradition’ in Italian
È una tradizione molto antica
eh OO-nah trah-deet-SYOH-neh MOHL-toh ahn-TEE-kah
[eh OO-nah trah-deet-SYOH-neh MOHL-toh ahn-TEE-kah]
💬 Usage Tip: Antica is used for traditions and buildings, where it means "old" or "ancient". For an old person you'd say anziano "elderly" instead.
Phrase Breakdown
È una tradizione
eh OO-nah trah-deet-SYOH-neh
It's a tradition
'Tradizione' is feminine, so it takes 'una'. Say 'trah-dee-TSYOH-neh'.
È una tradizione di famiglia.
It's a family tradition.
Words in this phrase
È
[eh]
is
Third-person singular of 'essere'; used to describe a person, company, or situation.
Quando dici È in È molto umana, stai descrivendo l'azienda.
When you say 'È' in 'È molto umana,' you are describing the company.
una
[OO-nah]
a
Feminine singular indefinite article before a feminine noun.
Ho lavorato in una piccola azienda.
I worked in a small company.
tradizione
[trah-deet-SYOH-neh]
tradition
A custom or belief passed down through generations.
La Pasqua ha molte tradizioni.
Easter has many traditions.
molto antica
MOHL-toh ahn-TEE-kah
very old
'Antica' is feminine, agreeing with 'tradizione'. Stress 'ahn-TEE-kah'.
È una città molto antica.
It's a very old city.
Words in this phrase
molto
[MOHL-toh]
very
An adverb used to strengthen an adjective or description.
Nel commento È molto umana, molto rafforza l'idea di attenzione alle persone.
In the comment 'È molto umana,' 'molto' reinforces the idea of caring about people.
antica
[ahn-TEE-kah]
ancient, old
Feminine form of 'antico', meaning very old or from long ago.
Questa è una chiesa antica.
This is an ancient church.
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