Il raschietto è accanto al tornio da vasaio.

Because è is the verb essere = is.

• è = is
• e = and

The accent is important because it distinguishes two different words:

• Il raschietto è accanto... = The scraper is next to...
• Il raschietto e il tornio... = The scraper and the wheel...

Il raschietto is the subject of the sentence: the scraper.

Italian often follows the same basic order as English here:

• Il raschietto = the subject
• è = the verb
• accanto al tornio da vasaio = the location phrase

So the structure is basically:

The scraper + is + next to the potter’s wheel

Italian usually uses the definite article more often than English. So where English says the scraper, Italian says il raschietto.

Here, il is the masculine singular definite article used before many nouns beginning with most consonants.

Examples:

• il raschietto
• il tavolo
• il libro

If you removed il, the sentence would usually sound incomplete in normal standard Italian.

Because accanto normally goes with the preposition a when it means next to / beside.

So the full structure is:

• accanto a = next to

Then a + il combines into al:

• accanto a il tornio → accanto al tornio

This kind of contraction is very common in Italian.

Al = a + il.

So in this sentence:

• accanto al tornio literally = next to the wheel

It is not a separate special word you have to memorize on its own only for this sentence. It is just a very common contraction.

Other similar contractions:

• a + il = al
• a + lo = allo
• a + la = alla
• a + i = ai
• a + gli = agli
• a + le = alle

Here da vasaio describes the kind or purpose of the tornio.

• vasaio = potter
• tornio da vasaio = potter’s wheel

In Italian, da + noun/person can often mean for, used by, or intended for.

So this is not mainly about ownership. It means the wheel is the kind used by a potter.

Compare:

• scarpe da tennis = tennis shoes
• macchina da scrivere = typewriter
• forno da pizza = pizza oven

Because the meaning is different.

• tornio da vasaio = a potter’s wheel, the type of wheel used for pottery
• tornio del vasaio = the potter’s wheel belonging to the potter

So:

• da vasaio describes the function/type
• del vasaio suggests possession or association with a specific potter

In your sentence, da vasaio is the natural choice for naming the object.

Yes. Vicino a and accanto a can both mean near / next to.

Very roughly:

• accanto a often feels more like right beside / next to
• vicino a can be near or close to, sometimes a little less exact

In many everyday contexts, both are possible.

Examples:

• Il raschietto è accanto al tornio.
• Il raschietto è vicino al tornio.

Both are correct, though accanto often suggests more immediate physical adjacency.

Yes, raschietto is masculine singular.

You can tell from:

• the article il
• the ending -o, which is often masculine singular

So:

• il raschietto = masculine singular
• plural: i raschietti

This does not mean every noun ending in -o is masculine, but it is a very common pattern.

A helpful approximate guide is:

• raschietto ≈ ra-SKYET-to
• tornio ≈ TOR-nyo

A few useful points:

• schi in Italian sounds like sky before e or i
• tt is pronounced more distinctly than a single t
• ni + vowel often gives a ny sound, so nio sounds like nyo

And:

• è is pronounced like eh

So the whole sentence sounds roughly like:

eel ra-SKYET-to eh ak-KAN-to al TOR-nyo da va-ZA-yo

Because al already contains the article il:

• al = a + il

So accanto al tornio literally includes the:

• next to the wheel

Italian usually keeps the article with nouns in phrases like this, where English also normally says the.

The given word order is the most neutral and natural one:

Il raschietto è accanto al tornio da vasaio.

Italian word order is somewhat flexible, but changes usually affect emphasis.

For example, you might also hear:

• Accanto al tornio da vasaio c’è il raschietto.

That version puts more focus on the location, almost like: Next to the potter’s wheel, there is the scraper.

So yes, word order can change, but the original version is the standard straightforward way to say it.

Yes, grammatically that is perfectly correct.

• Il raschietto è accanto al tornio. = The scraper is next to the wheel/lathe.

Adding da vasaio simply makes the type of tornio more specific. Without it, tornio could mean a lathe or wheel depending on context. With da vasaio, it is clearly a potter’s wheel.

It follows a very simple pattern:

[Subject] + [to be] + [location]

So here:

• Il raschietto = subject
• è = verb
• accanto al tornio da vasaio = location phrase

This is a very common and useful structure in Italian for describing where things are:

• Il libro è sul tavolo.
• La sedia è vicino alla porta.
• Il raschietto è accanto al tornio da vasaio.