Breakdown of Non recensiamo l'audiolibro; semmai recensiamo il libro del mese.
non
not
il libro del mese
the book of the month
l'audiolibro
the audiobook
recensire
to review a book or work
Questions & Answers about Non recensiamo l'audiolibro; semmai recensiamo il libro del mese.
What does recensiamo mean, and what verb form is it?
Recensiamo is the present indicative, first-person plural form of recensire, meaning to review or to write/give a review of.
So:
- io recensisco = I review
- tu recensisci = you review
- noi recensiamo = we review
In this sentence, recensiamo means we review.
Why is non placed before the verb in non recensiamo?
In standard Italian, non usually goes directly before the conjugated verb to form negation.
- recensiamo = we review
- non recensiamo = we do not review
This is the normal word order in Italian. English learners sometimes expect the negative to work more like English do not, but Italian usually just adds non before the verb.
Why is it l'audiolibro and not il audiolibro?
Because audiolibro begins with a vowel, the singular definite article is shortened to l'.
So:
- il libro = the book
- l'audiolibro = the audiobook
For masculine singular nouns beginning with a vowel, il becomes l'.
This is mainly for sound and flow. Italian avoids il audiolibro, which sounds awkward.