Question 1

What form of the verb is controlla—imperative or indicative?

Accepted Answer

Here controlla is the tu-form imperative of controllare (“to check”). Although it looks the same as the third-person singular present indicative (lui/lei controlla), the context (an instruction) and absence of a subject pronoun show that it’s a command: “Check…”

Question 2

Why is there lo before scontrino instead of il?

Accepted Answer

Lo is the masculine singular definite article used before words beginning with:  
- s + consonant (e.g. scontrino)  
- z, gn, pn, ps, x, y  
By contrast, il appears before most other consonants.

Question 3

What does scontrino mean and when do you use it?

Accepted Answer

Scontrino means “receipt” (the paper slip you get after a purchase). You’ll hear it in shops, cafes, restaurants, etc. The verb scontrinare (“to give a receipt”) is less common; people just say “Mi dà lo scontrino, per favore?”

Question 4

How is Controllalo different from Controlla lo scontrino?

Accepted Answer

- Controlla lo scontrino uses the article + noun: “Check the receipt.”  
- Controllalo attaches the direct-object pronoun lo to the imperative (“Check it!”).  
You choose one structure or the other—you don’t say “Controlla lo lo”.

Question 5

What is sembra, and what form is it?

Accepted Answer

Sembra is the third-person singular present indicative of sembrare (“to seem”). Here it agrees with il prezzo (singular), so il prezzo sembra… = “the price seems…”

Question 6

Why use sembra instead of è in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Sembra conveys an impression or initial estimate: you’re not 100 % certain. If you knew for sure you could say “Il prezzo è più basso del previsto.” (“The price is lower than expected.”)

Question 7

How do you form the comparative più basso?

Accepted Answer

Italian comparatives use più (more) or meno (less) + adjective + di (than). Example:  
• “più basso di…” = “lower than…”  
• “meno caro di…” = “less expensive than…”

Question 8

What does del previsto mean, and why is it del?

Accepted Answer

- del = contraction of di + il (here il previsto).  
- previsto is the past-participle of prevedere, used as an adjective meaning “expected”.  
So “del previsto” literally means “than the expected [one]” → “than expected.”

Question 9

Can you say più basso di previsto or più basso di quanto previsto instead?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Alternatives include:  
- “Il prezzo sembra più basso di previsto.” (drops the article, more colloquial)  
- “Il prezzo sembra più basso di quanto previsto.” (adds quanto = “than how/what was expected”)

Question 10

Why is there a colon (:) between scontrino and il prezzo?

Accepted Answer

The colon links the instruction to its explanation. In Italian (as in English) you can use :“  
Controlla lo scontrino:  
  il prezzo sembra più basso del previsto.  
It tells the reader “here comes the reason.”

Controlla lo scontrino: il prezzo sembra più basso del previsto.

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