Esco di casa appena possibile.

I leave the house as soon as possible.

Breakdown of Esco di casa appena possibile.

• di: of
• la casa: the house
• uscire: to leave
• appena possibile: as soon as possible

Questions & Answers about Esco di casa appena possibile.

What is the function of the preposition di in the phrase "di casa"?

In Italian, the preposition di is used to indicate origin or source. In "esco di casa," it forms part of an idiomatic expression meaning "to leave home." Although it might seem like a literal translation would use "from" (as in "from the house"), Italian uses "di casa" to convey the familiar, personal sense of home without requiring an article.

Why is there no article before casa in this sentence?

When talking about one’s home as a fixed, familiar place, Italian omits the article. In the expression "di casa," the lack of an article emphasizes the idea of home rather than a specific house. If you used an article (like in "dalla casa"), it would refer more to a physical building rather than the personal notion of home.

What does the verb esco mean, and why is it conjugated that way?

Esco is the first person singular present tense form of the irregular verb uscire, which means "to go out" or "to leave." In Italian, the subject pronoun (in this case, io) is often dropped because the verb ending clearly indicates who is performing the action. Thus, "esco" alone implicitly means "I leave."

What is the significance of appena possibile in this sentence?

The phrase appena possibile translates to "as soon as possible." It serves to add urgency to the action of leaving home, highlighting that it happens at the earliest opportunity. This expression is common in Italian for conveying that an action should not be delayed.

Would changing the word order of appena possibile affect the meaning of the sentence?

Although Italian allows some flexibility in word order, the natural and most commonly used arrangement is to place appena possibile at the end of the sentence, as in "Esco di casa appena possibile." Moving it (for example, "Appena possibile, esco di casa") is grammatically acceptable but might place a different emphasis on the urgency. The original order is preferred for its clear and idiomatic expression of the intended meaning.