Learn Hardcore Italian: Abbiamo scelto l’arrosto anziché il pesce, perché era più fresco. - We chose the roast instead of the fish because it was fresher.

Anziché means “instead of” or “rather than,” introducing an alternative choice. It’s slightly more formal or literary than invece di, but both convey the same idea.

• anziché + noun/infinitive: Abbiamo scelto il vino anziché l’acqua.
• invece di + noun/infinitive: Abbiamo scelto il vino invece di (dell’)acqua.

Note: With invece di you often see the preposition + definite article (e.g. invece dell’acqua), whereas anziché can attach directly to the word that follows.

Why is there an apostrophe in l’arrosto?

In Italian, when the feminine singular definite article la or masculine singular article lo precedes a noun starting with a vowel, it elides to l’. Here arrosto starts with “a,” so lo arrosto becomes l’arrosto. Elision avoids a double vowel clash.

Why is pesce used without an article after anziché?

After prepositions (including anziché), the article is optional if you speak generally or refer to a category:

• anziché il pesce would specify “instead of the fish (we had in mind).”
• anziché pesce implies “instead of any fish, in general.”

In everyday speech you can omit the article when the meaning remains clear.

Why is the passato prossimo abbiamo scelto used instead of imperfetto or passato remoto?

The choice of tense depends on context:

• Passato prossimo (abbiamo scelto) describes a completed action with present relevance (“we have chosen/we chose”). It’s the default past in spoken Italian.
• Imperfetto (sceglievamo) would imply an ongoing or habitual past action (“we were choosing” or “we used to choose”), which doesn’t fit here.
• Passato remoto (scegliemmo) is literary or used in certain regions for remote past and sounds too formal in conversation.

How is the comparative più fresco formed and translated?

Italian comparatives use più + adjective + di/che:

• più + fresco = “fresher”
• You say era più fresco di/che but after perché you often drop di/che and rely on context: era più fresco (“it was fresher”).

Translated: “because it was fresher.”

Why is there a comma before perché?

In Italian, a comma often precedes perché when introducing an explanatory subordinate clause (reason). It marks the shift from main clause to justification:

Abbiamo scelto l’arrosto anziché il pesce, perché era più fresco.

Without the comma it could read as a restrictive clause or feel rushed in speech.

Why is perché written with an accent, and is there a different word without it?

• Perché (with accent) means “because” or “why” in questions.
• Perche (without accent) is not a standalone word in Italian.

Always use perché with the accent to avoid confusion and to mark the open vowel [ɛ].

Why is there no subject before era in “perché era più fresco”?

Italian is a pro-drop language: the verb ending usually tells you the person/number without needing a pronoun. Here era is 3rd person singular, and the implied subject is neuter “it” (referring to l’arrosto). You don’t need esso or lei.