Italian Phrase
La mia penna è rimasta senza inchiostro.
Meaning
The sentence means ‘My pen has run out of ink.’ It conveys that the pen can no longer write because the ink supply is exhausted.
When to use
Use this phrase when you need to explain why you can’t continue writing, for example in a classroom, at the office, or while taking notes during a meeting.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Lamiapennaèrimastasenzainchiostro
Definite article + possessive
In Italian, the article (la) agrees with the noun and the possessive adjective (mia) follows the article.
Passato prossimo with essere
Rimasta is the past participle of rimanere and uses essere as the auxiliary because the verb is intransitive and indicates a change of state.
Preposition senza
Senza means ‘without’ and is followed directly by a noun without a preposition.
Gender agreement
The past participle rimasta agrees in gender and number with the subject penna (feminine singular).
🗨In Conversation
Hai una penna da prestarmi?
Do you have a pen I can borrow?
Mi dispiace, la mia penna è rimasta senza inchiostro.
Sorry, my pen has run out of ink.
✕Common Mistakes
La mia penna ha rimasto senza inchiostro.
Rimanere uses essere as the auxiliary, not avere.
La mia penna è rimasto senza inchiostro.
The past participle must agree with the feminine noun penna: rimasta.
La mia penna è rimasta senza di inchiostro.
Senza is a preposition that does not require ‘di’ before the noun.
↔Alternatives
La mia penna non ha più inchiostro.
My pen no longer has ink.
La penna è finita l'inchiostro.
The pen is out of ink.
Ho finito l'inchiostro della penna.
I've run out of ink in the pen.
Cultural Tip
In everyday Italian people often say “la penna è finita” or “non ho più inchiostro” rather than the more formal “è rimasta senza inchiostro.” Both are correct, but the former is more colloquial. Remember that “senza” never takes the preposition “di” – you say “senza inchiostro,” not “senza di inchiostro.”