Parola
it
Verbo irregolare
Forms
Infinitive
it
Past
'it
Past participle
'it
Definizioni
01referring to a thing
A1 · Beginner
pron. you use this to talk about an object, an animal, or an idea that you have already mentioned.
pron. the third-person singular neuter pronoun used to refer to an inanimate object, abstract entity, or non-human organism.
“I found a great book and I can't stop reading it.”
“The committee reviewed the proposal thoroughly before deciding to reject it on the grounds of insufficient funding.”
Usage
Functions as either a subject or an object pronoun.
02weather and time
A1 · Beginner
pron. you use this as a 'dummy' subject when talking about the weather, time, or distance.
pron. an impersonal or 'dummy' pronoun used as a syntactic filler for the subject position in statements about environmental conditions or temporal states.
“It is raining outside, so you should take an umbrella.”
“It is nearly ten miles to the nearest service station, so we should check the fuel levels now.”
Usage
Known as the 'dummy it' because it has no real semantic referent in the sentence.
03identifying a person
A1 · Beginner
pron. you use this to identify who someone is, especially when you cannot see them or on the phone.
pron. used to identify a person whose identity is being established or revealed in the discourse.
“There is someone at the door. I think it is the postman.”
“When the phone rang at midnight, she answered tentatively, only to find it was her brother calling from abroad.”
Usage
Commonly used with the verb 'to be' for identification.
04placeholder for a clause
B1 · Intermediate
pron. you use this at the start of a sentence to introduce a longer idea that comes later.
pron. an anticipatory pronoun acting as a placeholder for a delayed subject, such as an infinitive phrase or a noun clause.
“It is important to sleep well before a big exam.”
“It remains to be seen whether the new policy will actually improve the economic situation in the long term.”
Usage
Often used in the pattern 'It is [adjective] to [verb]'.
05very fashionable
C1 · Advanced Informal · Slang
adj. used to describe something or someone that is currently the most popular or fashionable.
adj. denoting a person or thing that is currently highly fashionable or trendy.
“She is the new 'it' girl of the fashion world this year.”
“That specific shade of green has become the it colour for interior designers this season.”
Teaching tip
Often used in the phrase 'it girl' or 'it bag' to denote peak popularity.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Idioms
03. it's about time
04. it's all good
06. it's early days
07. it's five o'clock somewhere
Grammar
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A1 MoversIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.2.0–3.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 1.0–1.50–23TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.120–224
- Frequency
- Very common
- Level
- A1 · Beginner
- Updated
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