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Breakdown of Il libro è interessante, però non ho tempo per leggerlo.
io
I
avere
to have
essere
to be
il libro
the book
interessante
interesting
leggere
to read
per
for
non
not
il tempo
the time
lo
it
però
but
Questions & Answers about Il libro è interessante, però non ho tempo per leggerlo.
What does però mean in this sentence?
Però is an adverb meaning "but" or "however." It introduces a contrast between the two parts of the sentence—that even though the book is interesting, the speaker still lacks the time to read it.
How is the object pronoun lo used in leggerlo?
In leggerlo, the pronoun lo replaces il libro (the book). Instead of repeating the noun, Italian attaches the appropriate direct object pronoun to the end of the infinitive (in this case, leggere becomes leggerlo), meaning "to read it."
Why do we say non ho tempo per leggerlo instead of using a different preposition?
The construction avere tempo per is the standard way in Italian to express having time to do something. The preposition per indicates purpose or intended action. Thus, non ho tempo per leggerlo correctly means "I don't have time to read it."
What is the function of the comma before però in the sentence?
The comma is used to separate two independent clauses that express contrasting ideas. In this sentence, it helps to clearly mark the shift from stating that the book is interesting to mentioning the lack of time for reading it.
Why is the pronoun attached to the infinitive rather than placed before the conjugated verb?
In Italian, when an object pronoun is used with an infinitive, it is typically attached directly to the end of the infinitive. This is why leggere combines with lo to form leggerlo. In contrast, with conjugated verbs the pronoun usually comes before the verb.
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