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Lava le mani con attenzione.

Lava le mani con attenzione.
Wash your hands carefully.
FromLesson 3inHardcore Italian

Breakdown of Lava le mani con attenzione.

con
with
lavare
to wash
le mani
the hands

Questions & Answers about Lava le mani con attenzione.

Why do we use Lava (third-person singular form) instead of the infinitive lavare in this sentence?
In Italian, the imperative form addressed to tu is created by removing the -re from the infinitive for regular -are verbs. So lavare becomes lava when giving a direct command.
Why is it le mani rather than tue mani?
In Italian, it's very common to use the definite article (like le) with body parts, rather than possessive adjectives. The speaker’s intention is clear from context, so le mani is simply understood to mean “your hands.”
Can we say lavati le mani instead?
Yes, you might hear lavati le mani as a reflexive form (lavarsi). Using lava le mani or lavati le mani can both be understood as telling someone to wash their own hands, but lavati is more explicitly reflexive. Both forms are correct in everyday usage.
What is the function of con attenzione at the end of this instruction?
Con attenzione is a prepositional phrase that means “carefully” or “with attention.” It modifies how the action should be carried out. An alternative is the adverb attentamente, but con attenzione is perfectly natural in Italian.
Is there any difference between lava le mani con attenzione and lava accuratamente le mani?
They convey similar meanings, but the phrasing changes the nuance. Con attenzione focuses on the carefulness/attention itself, while accuratamente emphasizes being thorough or precise. Both, however, tell the listener to be careful or thorough in washing.
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