el7jake
Joined: 05 Mar 2008
Posts: 24
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 Posted: Sat May 31, 2008 7:56 am Post subject: use of word "it" |
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Don't' understand use of this word sometimes. For example,
We are wondering when IT will stop raining.
IT is cold out, isn't it?
I understand that pronouns replace nouns. Don't understand what "it" replaces in these sentences?
Jake L. |
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CP
Joined: 12 Jun 2006
Posts: 2875
Location: California
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| Posted: Sat May 31, 2008 8:17 am Post subject: |
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In French, they say, "Il pleut," and in German, "Es regnet," both of which mean, "It rains / it is raining." Same in Swedish and probably Danish, and I will bet it is the same in Spanish and Italian, too.
The "it" is a sort of place holder, a dummy word that allows us to have a subject of the sentence where there really is no specific person or thing doing the action. What else would we say? "The sky is raining"? "The clouds are raining"? Maybe, but we don't.
It's dark outside. It's cold in my room. It's snowing in Alaska. It is a busy guy!
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You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb |
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