Accendo la lampada per illuminare la scrivania.

I turn on the lamp to light up the desk.

Breakdown of Accendo la lampada per illuminare la scrivania.

• io: I
• la scrivania: the desk
• accendere: to turn on
• la lampada: the lamp
• per: to
• illuminare: to light up

Questions & Answers about Accendo la lampada per illuminare la scrivania.

What does accendo mean in this sentence, and how is it used grammatically?

Accendo is the first-person singular form of the verb accendere, which means "to turn on." In this sentence, it indicates that the speaker is performing the action of turning on the lamp.

Why is the definite article la used before both lampada and scrivania?

In Italian, nouns are gendered. Both lampada (lamp) and scrivania (desk) are feminine singular nouns, so the definite article la (meaning "the") is used to correctly correspond with their gender.

What role does per play before the infinitive illuminare?

Per introduces an infinitive that expresses purpose. Here, per illuminare la scrivania means "in order to illuminate the desk," indicating that the lamp is turned on for the specific purpose of lighting up the desk.

Does illuminare express a result or a purpose in this sentence?

In this context, illuminare expresses purpose rather than a result. It shows that the action of turning on the lamp is performed with the intention of illuminating the desk.

Is it possible to rearrange the sentence without changing its meaning?

Yes, the sentence can be restructured while maintaining its meaning. For example, you could say Per illuminare la scrivania, accendo la lampada. This alternative emphasizes the purpose first, but both versions clearly link the action of turning on the lamp with the goal of illuminating the desk.