Sorting out the parts of speech in a new language can be tricky. You don't necessarily need to be able to memorize what part of speech a given word is, but it's handy to be able to figure it out. Native speakers just know, but learners need some cues sometimes. We're going to discuss the word fidanzato/a because it crops up as a past participle, adjective, or noun, and it can be challenging to figure out which it is. We'll try to make some sense out of it. 

We have talked about the fine line between adjectives and nouns in another lesson, but it's a topic that comes up frequently, so we'll explore it again from another angle. 

The caption that sparked this discussion is from the popular crime drama Imma Tataranni. Imma, the deputy prosecutor, is interviewing the parents of a girl who had been murdered. 

Era fidanzata?

Did she have a boyfriend?

[Was she engaged/attached?]

Caption 17, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP 4 Maltempo - Part 4

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Our translation caused some confusion because it's neither parallel nor word-for-word. But it opened up a discussion about adjectives and nouns, and how to tell the difference. It also opened up a discussion about what words to use when referring to relationships. But we'll talk about that in another lesson. Let's look at what questions to ask to find out whether a word is a past participle, adjective, or noun.

Is there an article?

The word fidanzata ends in a so it is likely feminine. The masculine would be fidanzato. Adjective or noun? There is no article in this example, so the best guess is "adjective." If it were a noun (something that is possible), it would likely have an article and possibly an adjective or possessive adjective before it. 

Ci vorrebbe una bella fidanzata.

You need a nice girlfriend.

Caption 75, Volare - La grande storia di Domenico Modugno Ep. 2 - Part 17

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What verb is used before it?

And we can look at the verb. Italian's two main verbs, essere (to be) and avere (to have) are used as auxiliaries, but not exclusively. Avere is also a transitive verb meaning "to have," where as essere is not. Here is an example from another crime-show interview about a murder. This time the detective used the verb avere (to have), which makes things much simpler. We assume from the context that it's about a guy, but it could also be "Did she have a girlfriend?".

Aveva una fidanzata?

Did he have a girlfriend?

Caption 45, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone S1EP4 Gelo - Part 7

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But here, we see the verb essere (and no article) so we can tell that fidanzata is an adjective.

Io vado, ciao. -Allora, questa amica mia è fidanzata da otto anni

I'm going, bye. -So this friend of mine, she's been engaged for eight years

Captions 75-76, Stai lontana da me Rai Cinema - Part 2

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 Here, too, there is no article.

Devo dirti una cosa, Teresa. -Dimmi. -Io sono fidanzato, Teresa.

I have to tell you something, Teresa. -Tell me. -I'm engaged, Teresa.

Captions 42-44, Adriano Olivetti La forza di un sogno Ep. 1 - Part 19

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Here's how it works in the plural. 

Per un po' siamo anche stati fidanzati.

We were also boyfriend and girlfriend for a while.

For a while, we were even engaged.

Caption 10, La Ladra EP. 11 - Un esame importante - Part 2

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Reflexive structure?

When we talk about the process of getting engaged, then fidanzata/o is no longer an adjective. It's the past participle of the verb fidanzare (to get engaged). We use the reflexive particle si (oneself) and the auxiliary verb essere (to be).

Mi sono fidanzata. Evviva! -Che bello, la nonna si è fidanzata!

I got engaged. Yay! -How nice that Grandma has gotten [herself] engaged!

Captions 30-31, Provaci ancora prof! S2E5 Vita da cani - Part 17

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We hope we've cleared up some doubts about fidanzato/a and given you some tips for determining whether a word is a past participle, adjective, or noun.