Ringrazio il fratello del mio amico per l'aiuto prezioso.

I thank my friend's brother for the precious help.

Breakdown of Ringrazio il fratello del mio amico per l'aiuto prezioso.

• io: I
• di: of
• l'amico: the friend
• per: for
• il mio: my
• prezioso: precious
• l'aiuto: the help
• ringraziare: to thank
• il fratello: the brother

Questions & Answers about Ringrazio il fratello del mio amico per l'aiuto prezioso.

Why is Ringrazio used instead of Io ringrazio?

In Italian, personal pronouns like io (I) are often omitted when the subject is clear from the verb ending. Ringrazio is its first-person singular form, so it already indicates "I thank," making io optional.

Why do we say il fratello del mio amico and not something else?

Italian uses del (a contraction of di + il) to express possession, meaning "the brother of my friend." The structure is [il fratello] + [del] + [mio amico]. In English, we usually say "my friend's brother," but in Italian this exact structure translates more literally to "the brother of my friend."

What does per express in per l'aiuto prezioso?

The preposition per in this context means "for" to indicate the reason or the aspect being thanked. By saying per l'aiuto prezioso, you are specifying "for his valuable help."

Why is it l'aiuto prezioso instead of un aiuto prezioso?

Using l'aiuto (the help) with the definite article emphasizes that we're talking about a specific help that was given. Saying un aiuto prezioso would mean "some valuable help," but using the definite article points to a particular instance of help that you have in mind.

Do I need to use il before mio amico?

Yes, when using a possessive adjective (mio, tuo, suo, etc.) to modify a singular family member that is not your own direct family member, you typically need an article in Italian. Here, il mio amico is the standard form. An exception is usually made for immediate family members (e.g., mia madre, mio padre) in the singular without the article, but that doesn’t apply to a friend or someone else’s relative, so the article is kept.