Italian Phrase
La biblioteca è quel grande edificio di pietra?
Meaning
The speaker is asking for confirmation that the library is the large stone building they are pointing at. It’s a yes‑no question that checks identification rather than location.
When to use
Use this sentence when you see a prominent stone building and want to verify whether it houses the library, especially in a guided tour or when giving directions.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Labibliotecaèquelgrandeedificiodipietra
Definite article (La)
La is the feminine singular definite article, used before feminine nouns like biblioteca.
Essere (è)
è is the third‑person singular present of essere, used for identification or description.
Demonstrative adjective (quel)
quel modifies a masculine singular noun (edificio) and means ‘that’ (far from the speaker).
Adjective agreement (grande)
Grande agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies; it stays the same for both masculine and feminine singular.
Preposition di + material
di indicates the material something is made of; the material noun (pietra) stays singular.
🗨In Conversation
La biblioteca è quel grande edificio di pietra?
Is the library that big stone building?
Sì, è proprio lì. È un edificio storico del XIX secolo.
Yes, it’s right there. It’s a historic 19th‑century building.
✕Common Mistakes
La biblioteca è questa grande edificio di pietra?
Questo/questa agree with the noun they modify; edificio is masculine, so you need quel, not questa.
La biblioteca è quel grande edificio di pietre?
When indicating material, the noun stays singular (pietra), not plural.
La biblioteca sono quel grande edificio di pietra?
The subject is singular (la biblioteca), so the verb must be è, not sono.
↔Alternatives
La biblioteca è quell'edificio di pietra?
Is the library that stone building?
È la biblioteca quel grande edificio di pietra?
Is the library that big stone building?
Quell'edificio di pietra è la biblioteca?
Is that stone building the library?
Cultural Tip
In Italian, demonstratives (questo/questa, quello/quella, etc.) must match the gender and number of the noun they modify. Because edificio is masculine, you use quel (or quell' before a vowel). Also, Italian often places the verb before the subject in identification questions, as in this example.