Breakdown of Non dimenticare di tritare il prezzemolo prima di metterlo sulla torta salata.
su
on
mettere
to put
non
not
prima
before
dimenticare
to forget
lo
it
di
to
la torta
the pie
salato
savory
il prezzemolo
the parsley
tritare
to chop
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Questions & Answers about Non dimenticare di tritare il prezzemolo prima di metterlo sulla torta salata.
Why is the verb tritare in its infinitive form after non dimenticare di?
In Italian, verbs like dimenticare (to forget) are followed by the preposition di plus an infinitive to indicate the action that should not be forgotten. This is similar to English, where we say “Don't forget to chop…”—the to chop part remains in its base form (infinitive). The structure non dimenticare di tritare is the standard way to express this idea in Italian.
Why is the object pronoun lo attached to the verb forming metterlo?
When using an infinitive in Italian, object pronouns like lo (it) are attached directly to the end of the verb. Here, metterlo means “to put it,” with lo referring back to the parsley mentioned earlier. In contrast, with conjugated verbs the pronoun is placed before the verb. This enclitic positioning of pronouns is a common feature in Italian when dealing with infinitives.
What is the function of the phrases di tritare and prima di metterlo in the sentence?
Both phrases use the preposition di to link a main verb to an action expressed by an infinitive. In non dimenticare di tritare, di introduces the action that must not be forgotten. Similarly, in prima di metterlo, di connects the word prima (“before”) to the infinitive metterlo (“put it”), indicating that one action should occur before another. This structure is analogous to English expressions like “to chop” and “before putting.”
Why is sulla used instead of writing su la?
Italian grammar often contracts a preposition with a definite article for smoother pronunciation. In this case, su (“on”) and la (the feminine singular article) merge to form sulla. This contraction follows a standard grammatical rule, making the phrase both concise and natural-sounding.
Why is the definite article il used with prezzemolo?
In Italian, many ingredients—including herbs like parsley—are commonly mentioned with a definite article to specify a particular item or substance in a recipe. Prezzemolo is a masculine noun, so it takes the masculine article il. This usage emphasizes that the instruction refers to the specific parsley meant for the dish, much like saying “the parsley” in English.