Ho comprato un nuovo scaffale per sistemare tutti i miei libri.

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Breakdown of Ho comprato un nuovo scaffale per sistemare tutti i miei libri.

• il libro: the book
• comprare: to buy
• i miei: my
• nuovo: new
• tutti: all
• lo scaffale: the shelf
• sistemare: to organize

Questions & Answers about Ho comprato un nuovo scaffale per sistemare tutti i miei libri.

Why is the past participle comprato used instead of comprata or comprati?

When using avere as the auxiliary verb in the passato prossimo (past tense), the past participle usually does not change to match the gender or number of the direct object. It remains in the masculine singular form by default (comprato). If the direct object pronoun (like la or le) appeared before the verb, you might see the participle agree in gender and/or number (e.g., l’ho comprata for a feminine object).

Can you explain the function of per in this sentence?

The word per here introduces purpose, similar to saying in order to in English. So per sistemare tutti i miei libri means in order to organize all my books.

What does scaffale refer to, and how is it different from libreria?

Scaffale typically refers to a shelf or set of shelves, while libreria can mean both bookstore or a bookcase. In this context, un nuovo scaffale is specifically highlighting the shelving unit itself.

Why do we say un nuovo scaffale instead of uno nuovo scaffale?

In Italian, uno is used before masculine nouns starting with z, s + consonant, ps, pn, gn, and a few less common combinations. Since scaffale starts with s + vowel, you use un rather than uno.

What does sistemare mean in this context?

Sistemare here means to arrange, to organize, or to put in order. It conveys the idea of neatly placing all the books on the new shelf, so they are tidied and properly stored.