Se la caviglia è gonfia, è meglio riposarla e applicare del ghiaccio.

If the ankle is swollen, it’s best to rest it and apply some ice.

Breakdown of Se la caviglia è gonfia, è meglio riposarla e applicare del ghiaccio.

• essere: to be
• del: some
• e: and
• riposare: to rest

Questions & Answers about Se la caviglia è gonfia, è meglio riposarla e applicare del ghiaccio.

What does the sentence "Se la caviglia è gonfia, è meglio riposarla e applicare del ghiaccio" mean?

It means "If the ankle is swollen, it is better to rest it and apply some ice." This sentence offers advice on how to treat a swollen ankle.

Why is the pronoun la attached to the infinitive riposare to form riposarla?

In Italian, when an object pronoun refers to something mentioned earlier (here, la caviglia) and the verb is in the infinitive form, the pronoun is attached to the end of the verb. So riposarla literally means "to rest it."

What is the role of se in this sentence?

The word se means "if" in English. It introduces the condition under which the advice applies—in this case, if the ankle is swollen.

What does applicare del ghiaccio mean, and why is del used here?

Applicare del ghiaccio translates to "to apply some ice." The word del is a contraction of di + il and is used to indicate an unspecified quantity of ice, much like the English word "some" in this context.

Why is the adjective gonfia in the feminine form?