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Breakdown of Prima di usare l’applicazione, devo scaricare i nuovi driver per il microfono.
io
I
per
for
usare
to use
nuovo
new
prima di
before
dovere
to have to
il microfono
the microphone
l’applicazione
the application
scaricare
to download
il driver
the driver
Questions & Answers about Prima di usare l’applicazione, devo scaricare i nuovi driver per il microfono.
What does Prima di mean and why is it followed by usare?
Prima di means “before.” When the subject of both clauses is the same, you express the earlier action with prima di + infinitive, so usare remains in its base form.
Why is there an apostrophe in l’applicazione?
Italian drops the vowel at the end of la when the next word starts with a vowel, so la applicazione becomes l’applicazione (this is called elision).
What part of speech is devo, and why does it take an infinitive?
Devo is the first-person singular of dovere, a modal verb meaning “must” or “have to.” Modal verbs in Italian are always followed by another verb in the infinitive—in this case scaricare.
What does scaricare mean?
It means “to download.” Here it describes the action you must perform before using the application.
Why is the article i used before nuovi driver, rather than gli?
Although driver is an English loanword, Italian treats it as a masculine noun. The correct masculine plural definite article is i, so you say i driver.
Why is the adjective nuovi plural and masculine?
Adjectives in Italian agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Since driver is masculine plural, nuovi also takes the masculine-plural form.
What role does per play in per il microfono?
Per translates as “for” and indicates purpose or destination—here it shows that the drivers are needed for the microphone.
Is the comma after applicazione mandatory?
No. You can write Prima di usare l’applicazione devo scaricare… without a comma. The comma is optional and used to highlight the pause before the main clause.
Could you express the same idea with a different structure?
Yes. For example: Devo scaricare i nuovi driver per il microfono prima di usare l’applicazione. Here the main clause comes first, followed by the time clause.
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