coming into brilliant flower

[catherineosb]

Ciao a tutti!

Come si direbbe in italiano: "The tall staight stalks of the gladioli are coming into brilliant flower"?

Si trova nel brano mensile che la nostra Badessa scrive per il nostro sito internet. La frase precedente dice: "To retain a measure of sanity, I walk round the garden every morning, looking at the gradual changes in colour and shape in plants and shrubs."

Pensavo di renderla: "I steli alti e dritti dei gladioli si mettano a fare fiori brillanti", ma non sono certa del modo migliori di rendere il temp (p.es. dovrei utilizzare "sta"?). Che suggerite? Grazie in anticipo?

 

[Saoul]

Gli steli dei gladioli, alti e dritti, si aprono in fiori dai colori brillanti.

That would be my take. The only advice you kind of have to take is the article "Gli" for plural of "stelo". The rest is just me trying.

 

[Alxmrphi]

Oh come on Saoul it was funny

Catherine, the plural (3rd person) should be "mettono" and not "mettano" as you put, this is subjunctive, but as Saoul pointed out "aprono" is correct!

 

[catherineosb]

Gli steli dei gladioli, alti e dritti, si aprono in fiori dai colori brillanti.

That would be my take. The only advice you kind of have to take is the article "Gli" for plural of "stelo". The rest is just me trying.

Thank you, Saoul; O dear, I QUITE forgot that "gli" goes with impure s!
Catherine.

Oh come on Saoul it was funny

Catherine, the plural (3rd person) should be "mettono" and not "mettano" as you put, this is subjunctive, but as Saoul pointed out "aprono" is correct!

Thanks, Alex - a case of more haste, less speed, I fear! Catherine.

 

[Saoul]

I don't even know what I would do if English had as many articles as Italian. You did a pretty good job. Don't go .

And anyway, I'm still not THAT sure about aprono... I look forward to someone else joining in the thread.

 

[Alxmrphi]

Well bisnonna I have no idea if "aprono" is correct, I just assumed as you were the Italian you know, the point was about "mettono" anyway, nothing to worry about, but it does make sense to be "aprire/to open"

In English we might also say "unfold", so would "spiegare" work as well?

 

[Saoul]

Grazie Alex, so if unfold (which I would translate as "schiudere" or "dischiudere" and not as "spiegare" which I would only use about wings) would be a good synonym here, my first translation seems to be Ok.

 

[Alxmrphi]

Ah, I didn't see those definitions in the dictionary.
Thanks for the hints on those verbs as well!

 

[Paulfromitaly]

Io direi "si schiudono" invece che "si aprono".

 

[nikis]

Io direi sbocciare oppure schiudere.

 

[catherineosb]

Io direi "si schiudono" invece che "si aprono".

Paulfromitaly,nikis - molte grazie a voi tutti e due! Catherine.