Breakdown of A volte, la coperta è troppo pesante e preferisco toglierla per dormire meglio.
io
I
dormire
to sleep
essere
to be
e
and
per
for
a volte
sometimes
meglio
better
preferire
to prefer
troppo
too
la
it
pesante
heavy
togliere
to remove
la coperta
the blanket
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Italian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about A volte, la coperta è troppo pesante e preferisco toglierla per dormire meglio.
What does A volte mean, and why is it placed at the beginning of the sentence?
A volte translates to sometimes in English. It serves as an introductory adverbial phrase that sets the context, indicating that the situation described in the sentence occurs on an occasional basis rather than all the time.
How is the phrase la coperta è troppo pesante constructed, and what does it mean?
In this clause, la coperta means the blanket, è is the third-person singular form of essere (to be), troppo means too, and pesante means heavy. Altogether, the phrase translates to “the blanket is too heavy,” describing the blanket’s state.
Why is the pronoun la attached to the infinitive in preferisco toglierla?
In Italian, when a direct object pronoun refers to a noun mentioned earlier—in this case, la coperta—it is attached to the end of an infinitive. Thus, in preferisco toglierla (I prefer to remove it), la replaces the blanket, following the common rule for clitic pronouns with infinitives.
What is the role of the clause per dormire meglio in the sentence, and how is it structured?
The clause per dormire meglio translates as “to sleep better.” The preposition per introduces an infinitive marker that shows purpose, dormire is the infinitive form of “to sleep,” and meglio functions as an adverb meaning “better.” This construction explains that the action of removing the blanket is done with the aim of sleeping more comfortably.
How does the conjunction e function in the sentence?
The conjunction e means and. It links two parts of the sentence: the first part describes the blanket’s condition (la coperta è troppo pesante), and the second part explains the speaker's response to that condition (preferisco toglierla per dormire meglio). The use of e shows the logical connection between the problem and the solution.
Is it acceptable to place the pronoun before the conjugated verb preferisco instead of attaching it to the infinitive togliere?
No, in this context the pronoun is correctly attached to the infinitive. While Italian does allow pronouns to be placed before a conjugated verb (a structure known as proclisis), when the pronoun refers to the object of an infinitive (here, of togliere), it is standard practice to attach it to the infinitive. Hence, toglierla is the correct form.
Why is there a comma after A volte in this sentence?
The comma after A volte serves to separate the introductory adverbial phrase from the rest of the sentence. It indicates a brief pause and helps the reader understand that the subsequent statement is temporally qualified by “sometimes,” thereby clarifying the overall structure and meaning of the sentence.