Breakdown of Voglio piantare un albero in giardino.
io
I
volere
to want
in
in
il giardino
the garden
piantare
to plant
l’albero
the tree
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Questions & Answers about Voglio piantare un albero in giardino.
What does voglio mean and why is it used here?
Voglio is the first-person singular present indicative of volere, which means “to want.” So voglio translates as “I want.” In Italian, the subject pronoun io (“I”) is usually omitted because the verb ending -o already tells you the subject is “I.”
Why is piantare in the infinitive form?
After verbs of desire like voglio, Italian uses the infinitive of the following verb. So piantare is the infinitive “to plant,” pairing with voglio to mean “I want to plant.”
Why don’t we say uno albero instead of un albero?
Un is the indefinite article used before masculine nouns starting with most consonants or vowels. Albero begins with a vowel, so you still use un, not uno. Uno is reserved for masculine nouns beginning with “s+consonant,” “z,” “ps,” “gn,” etc.
Why is it in giardino rather than nel giardino?
When indicating location in a general sense, Italian often uses the preposition in without an article: in giardino means “in (the) garden” as a concept or one’s own garden. Nel giardino (in + il giardino) would stress a specific garden already mentioned or known to both speaker and listener.
Could I say Voglio piantare l’albero in giardino? What would change?
Yes. L’albero is the singular definite article (“the tree”). If you say Voglio piantare l’albero in giardino, it means “I want to plant the tree in the garden,” implying a particular tree rather than “a tree.”
What’s the difference between piantare and mettere a dimora?
Both mean “to plant,” but mettere a dimora is more formal or technical, literally “to put in its place of growth.” Piantare is the everyday term you’d use in most contexts.
Why is in used before giardino? Could you use another preposition?
In is the standard preposition for “in” when talking about being inside or within a place. You wouldn’t use su (“on”) or a (“at”) here, because they change the meaning (e.g. su would be “on top of the garden,” which doesn’t make sense).
How is piantare pronounced and where is the stress?
Piantare is pronounced /pjanˈtaːre/. The stress falls on the second syllable: pi-AN-ta-re, with the “a” in “an” open and held slightly longer.