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1 vote
2 answers
136 views

Quando usare "da + infinito" invece di "per + infinito"

In quale situazione si dovrebbe usare da + infinito invece di per + infinito? Per esempio: questo regola è difficile da capire (da non per) quindi ho chiesto questo domanda per capire la differenza. (...
fdcpp's user avatar
  • 113
1 vote
1 answer
69 views

Does the "si passivante" come from the Latin passive case?

Does the si passivante come from the Latin passive?
Geremia's user avatar
  • 823
0 votes
0 answers
19 views

Did the reflexive case in Italian originate from Latin's passive case?

Did the reflexive case in Italian originate from Latin's passive case? For example: Farsi (Latin: fari), amarsi (Latin: amari), etc.? Rohlfs, Grammatica storica della lingua italiana (vol. 2): ...
Geremia's user avatar
  • 823
1 vote
0 answers
62 views

"farsi amare" vs. "farsi amato"

I've seen that "farsi amare" means "to make it loved", but why wouldn't that be "farsi amato"?
Geremia's user avatar
  • 823
1 vote
1 answer
82 views

Is there a passive infinitive in Italian?

Is there a passive infinitive in Italian? What is the passive infinitive of, e.g., amare in Italian? Verbix's conjugation says "avere amato". Is that correct or the only possibility? Maiden &...
Geremia's user avatar
  • 823
1 vote
1 answer
88 views

Infiniti semplici utilizzati come infiniti passivi: è possibile?

Buona sera, Ho un dubbio grammaticale sulla parte in grassetto in questa frase tratta da Il fu Mattia Pascal: Eppure, conoscendo Papiano, avrebbe dovuto nascermi il sospetto che, se egli si ...
Evgeniy's user avatar
  • 501
6 votes
1 answer
399 views

Usage of infinitive in instructions given by GPS

Last time when renting a car in Italy and using GPS in Italian I would constantly hear "Abbandonare la rotatoria alla prima/seconda/terza uscita". Now I'm wondering why is abbandonare used in ...
Tad Vogatt's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
61 views

What do you think you were doing? - infinitive/subjunctive form

AFAIK "What do you think you were doing" could be expressed using either infinitive (more usual) or subjunctive forms in Italian. Would those be: Che cosa credi di stare facendo ? Cosa credi che ...
Alan Evangelista's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
135 views

Infinitive vs conjugated verb

Is there any difference between the two sentences below? Non so se girare a sinistra o a destra. Non so se giro a sinistra o a destra.
Alan Evangelista's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
3k views

Quali sono i verbi di seconda coniugazione che non terminano in "-ere"?

Ricordo di aver imparato alle scuole medie che i verbi italiani si dividono in tre modelli di coniugazione a seconda della desinenza dell'infinito presente: i verbi in -are nella prima coniugazione, i ...
imanoob's user avatar
  • 303
5 votes
1 answer
986 views

"They told me to call you" - prepositions

I think that to say "They told me to call you" would be: "Mi hanno detto di chiamarti" Is this correct? And if so, why do we use the preposition 'di' here? I have seen endless 'explanations' that ...
Jesse's user avatar
  • 135
26 votes
5 answers
2k views

Why do Italian road signs use the infinitive tense and not the imperative?

Why do Italian road signs use the infinitive tense in their warning, while, for example, those in English use the imperative? Turn off lights Spegnere le luci (and not "Spegnete le luci" or ...
Kyriakos Kyritsis's user avatar