Breakdown of Uso un asciugamano pulito ogni volta che faccio la doccia.
io
I
ogni
every
la volta
the time
usare
to use
pulito
clean
che
that
l'asciugamano
the towel
fare la doccia
to shower
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Questions & Answers about Uso un asciugamano pulito ogni volta che faccio la doccia.
What does uso mean, and why is it in this form?
Uso is the first-person singular present form of the verb usare, which means "to use." In Italian, the subject "I" is often implied by the verb ending, so uso directly conveys the meaning "I use" without needing to explicitly include the pronoun io.
Why is the noun asciugamano preceded by the indefinite article un?
Asciugamano means "towel" and is a masculine noun in Italian. The indefinite article un is used with masculine nouns, equivalent to "a" in English, resulting in un asciugamano which translates to "a towel."
How does the adjective pulito agree with the noun asciugamano?
The adjective pulito means "clean" and follows the noun asciugamano. It is in its masculine, singular form to match the noun, ensuring grammatical agreement. This gives us un asciugamano pulito, which means "a clean towel."
What does the phrase ogni volta che faccio la doccia mean?
The phrase ogni volta che faccio la doccia translates to "every time I take a shower." Here, ogni volta means "every time," che functions as "that" or "when," and faccio la doccia is an idiomatic expression meaning "I take a shower" (literally "I do the shower").
Why is the definite article la used in la doccia?
In Italian, expressions for daily routines often use the definite article. Fare la doccia is the common way to say "to take a shower." The noun doccia is feminine, so it is paired with la (the feminine definite article), even though in English we do not say "the shower" in this context.
Can adjectives in Italian sometimes come before the noun, and why is pulito placed after asciugamano in this sentence?
Yes, adjectives in Italian can be placed either before or after the noun depending on the intended emphasis or stylistic choice. In this sentence, pulito is placed after asciugamano to provide a natural, descriptive order that emphasizes the quality of the towel—namely, that it is clean.