Breakdown of Voglio provare un vino raffinato.
io
I
volere
to want
provare
to try
il vino
the wine
raffinato
refined
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Questions & Answers about Voglio provare un vino raffinato.
What does voglio mean in this sentence?
Voglio is the first person singular form of the verb volere, which means "to want." In this sentence, it translates to "I want."
What is the meaning of provare in this context?
Provare is an infinitive that means "to try" or "to test." Here, it indicates the act of sampling or experiencing something—in this case, a wine.
Why is the subject (I) not explicitly mentioned in the sentence?
Italian often omits the subject pronoun because the verb conjugation already makes it clear. The form voglio inherently implies "I want," so there’s no need to include io.
Why is the indefinite article un used before vino?
Un is the Italian indefinite article equivalent to "a" in English. It’s used here because the speaker is referring to any refined wine rather than a specific wine, which would require the definite article il.
Why is raffinato placed after the noun vino?
In Italian, adjectives that describe inherent qualities typically follow the noun they modify. Placing raffinato after vino is the common word order, and it emphasizes the refined quality of the wine.
How does adjective-noun agreement work in this sentence?
Adjectives in Italian must agree with the noun in both gender and number. Since vino is a masculine singular noun, the adjective is in its masculine singular form raffinato to maintain proper agreement.
Could provare have other meanings, and how do we know it means "to try" here?
Yes, provare can mean "to test" or even "to try on" (as in clothing), depending on the context. In this sentence, the direct object vino clarifies that provare means "to try" in the sense of sampling a wine.