Prima di partire, devo preparare la valigia con tutti i vestiti necessari.

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Breakdown of Prima di partire, devo preparare la valigia con tutti i vestiti necessari.

• di: of
• con: with
• partire: to leave
• i vestiti: the clothes
• prima: before
• dovere: to have to
• la valigia: the suitcase
• tutti: all
• necessario: necessary

Questions & Answers about Prima di partire, devo preparare la valigia con tutti i vestiti necessari.

Why do we use prima di partire instead of just prima?

In Italian, prima di indicates “before” followed by a verb in the infinitive. Simply saying prima (“before”) without di partire would lose the idea of performing something prior to actually leaving.

What does devo imply compared to other modal verbs in Italian?

Devo means “I must” or “I have to,” indicating necessity or obligation. It is stronger than “I should” (which would be dovrei) and more direct than saying “I need to” (which could be ho bisogno di).

Is preparare la valigia interchangeable with fare la valigia?

Both can mean you are packing your suitcase. Fare la valigia is very common, meaning “to pack.” Preparare la valigia also conveys the notion of making all necessary arrangements for your suitcase. They are generally interchangeable in casual speech.

What is the role of con in con tutti i vestiti necessari?

Con here means “with” and indicates that you are including all necessary clothes in your suitcase. It shows what you are adding to the suitcase.

Why does the sentence say tutti i vestiti necessari rather than just i vestiti necessari?

By saying tutti i vestiti necessari, you are emphasizing that all of the clothes you need must be packed. Using i vestiti necessari alone would not explicitly highlight that every essential item is included.