Bedeutung
Unexpectedly.
Kultureller Hintergrund
The 'Kinder Sorpresa' egg is a cultural icon. Every Italian child grows up with the phrase 'a sorpresa' because of the toy inside the chocolate. A 'visita a sorpresa' is generally welcomed among close family in the South, but in the North, people might prefer a quick text message first. The 'finale a sorpresa' is a hallmark of Italian 'Giallo' (thriller) movies, where the killer is revealed unexpectedly at the end. The 'compito a sorpresa' (pop quiz) is the dread of every Italian student, often used by teachers to check if students studied over the weekend.
Word Order
Always put 'a sorpresa' AFTER the noun it describes. It's 'festa a sorpresa', not 'sorpresa festa'.
Preposition Trap
Never say 'in sorpresa'. It's a literal translation from English that sounds very wrong in Italian.
Bedeutung
Unexpectedly.
Word Order
Always put 'a sorpresa' AFTER the noun it describes. It's 'festa a sorpresa', not 'sorpresa festa'.
Preposition Trap
Never say 'in sorpresa'. It's a literal translation from English that sounds very wrong in Italian.
News Reading
When reading Italian news, look for 'a sorpresa' in headlines. It's the most common way to announce unexpected political or economic shifts.
Social Etiquette
In Italy, a 'regalo a sorpresa' doesn't need to be expensive; it's the thought and the 'surprise' that counts.
Teste dich selbst
Complete the sentence with the correct preposition.
Abbiamo organizzato una festa ___ sorpresa per il compleanno di Luigi.
'A sorpresa' is the standard collocation for describing a surprise event.
Which sentence is correct?
Select the natural Italian sentence:
The phrase 'a sorpresa' must follow the noun it modifies.
Fill in the missing part of the dialogue.
A: 'Perché Maria piange?' B: 'Perché suo fratello è tornato dall'America ___.'
We are describing the manner of the brother's return.
Match the situation to the phrase.
You win a game you expected to lose.
In sports, an unexpected win is always 'una vittoria a sorpresa'.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Common 'A Sorpresa' Events
Social
- • Festa
- • Visita
- • Regalo
School/Work
- • Test
- • Controllo
- • Riunione
Aufgabensammlung
4 AufgabenAbbiamo organizzato una festa ___ sorpresa per il compleanno di Luigi.
'A sorpresa' is the standard collocation for describing a surprise event.
Select the natural Italian sentence:
The phrase 'a sorpresa' must follow the noun it modifies.
A: 'Perché Maria piange?' B: 'Perché suo fratello è tornato dall'America ___.'
We are describing the manner of the brother's return.
You win a game you expected to lose.
In sports, an unexpected win is always 'una vittoria a sorpresa'.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
12 FragenNo, in Italian the noun comes first. You must say 'una festa a sorpresa'.
'A sorpresa' is used for events (festa, test). 'Di sorpresa' is used when catching someone (prendere di sorpresa).
It is neutral. You can use it with friends or in a newspaper article.
The most common way is 'un test a sorpresa' or 'un compito a sorpresa'.
Yes, like 'un attacco a sorpresa' (a surprise attack) or 'una pioggia a sorpresa' (unexpected rain).
No, the phrase 'a sorpresa' is fixed. 'Due feste a sorpresa'.
It is always 'a sorpresa' without the article.
Yes, but 'improvvisamente' means 'suddenly' (time), while 'a sorpresa' means 'unexpectedly' (intent).
It means 'to catch someone off guard'.
Young people might say 'a sgamo', but 'a sorpresa' is much more common.
Yes, e.g., 'Abbiamo ricevuto una visita a sorpresa dai fornitori'.
Prepositions are often idiomatic. 'A' here indicates the manner of the action.
Verwandte Redewendungen
di sorpresa
similarBy surprise
all'improvviso
synonymSuddenly
inaspettatamente
synonymUnexpectedly
colpo di scena
specialized formPlot twist
senza preavviso
similarWithout notice
