La bolletta dell’elettricità è arrivata ieri e devo saldarla entro domani.

The electricity bill arrived yesterday and I have to pay it by tomorrow.

Breakdown of La bolletta dell’elettricità è arrivata ieri e devo saldarla entro domani.

• io: I
• di: of
• e: and
• domani: tomorrow

Questions & Answers about La bolletta dell’elettricità è arrivata ieri e devo saldarla entro domani.

What does bolletta mean in this context?

Bolletta is the Italian word for a bill or invoice, especially one you receive regularly for utilities (electricity, water, gas, etc.). It literally refers to the paper you get with the amount due and the payment details.

Why is it dell’elettricità and not della elettricità?

In Italian, when the preposition di meets the definite article l’ (used before a vowel), they contract to dell’. So di + l’ (of the) becomes dell’, giving dell’elettricità (“of the electricity”).

What does saldarla mean?

Saldare means to settle or to pay off a debt or an invoice. The suffix -la is the direct object pronoun referring back to la bolletta. So saldarla literally means “to pay it off”, i.e. to settle the bill.

Why is the pronoun la attached to saldare? Could I put it somewhere else?