Ho pulito la cantina perché era piena di vecchie scatole.

I cleaned the cellar because it was full of old boxes.

Breakdown of Ho pulito la cantina perché era piena di vecchie scatole.

• io: I
• essere: to be
• di: of
• vecchio: old
• perché: because
• la scatola: the box
• pulire: to clean
• la cantina: the cellar
• pieno: full

Questions & Answers about Ho pulito la cantina perché era piena di vecchie scatole.

Why is "Ho pulito" used in this sentence, and how is it formed?

"Ho pulito" is in the passato prossimo tense. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb avere ("ho") followed by the past participle of the main verb "pulire" (which is pulito). This tense is typically used to express actions that were completed in the past.

Why is the imperfect tense used with "era" in the phrase "perché era piena di vecchie scatole"?

The imperfect tense "era" is used here to describe a past condition or state of being. It indicates that the basement was in an ongoing or background state of being full of old boxes when the action (cleaning) took place.

What is the function of "perché" in the sentence?

"Perché" acts as a conjunction meaning because. It connects the main clause ("Ho pulito la cantina") with the subordinate clause ("era piena di vecchie scatole") to explain the reason behind the cleaning.

How do adjectives like "piena" agree with the noun "cantina" in this sentence?

In Italian, adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe. Since "cantina" is feminine singular, the adjective piena is also in the feminine singular form to match it.

What is the role of the preposition "di" in the phrase "piena di vecchie scatole"?

The preposition di is essential in expressing what the basement was full of. In Italian, when indicating that something is full of a particular item, the structure "piena di" is used to connect the adjective (describing the state) with its complement (the items filling the space).

How does the adjective "vecchie" agree with "scatole," and why might its placement vary?

"Vecchie" is in the feminine plural form, which correctly agrees with "scatole," a feminine plural noun. Although adjectives in Italian typically follow the noun, some adjectives—depending on stylistic choices or subtle shifts in meaning—can appear before the noun. In this sentence, "vecchie scatole" is a standard order for expressing "old boxes."