Ti passo una salvietta per asciugarti le mani.

you

Breakdown of Ti passo una salvietta per asciugarti le mani.

• per: for
• la mano: the hand
• passare: to hand

Questions & Answers about Ti passo una salvietta per asciugarti le mani.

Why is there ti at the beginning of the sentence in Ti passo una salvietta?

Ti is the clitic indirect-object pronoun meaning “to you.” It tells us who receives the towel. Italian places clitic pronouns before the conjugated verb in simple sentences.

Why is there a second ti attached to asciugarti? Aren’t two ti redundant?

They serve different roles. The first ti marks the indirect object of passare (“I pass you…”). The second ti is the enclitic reflexive pronoun of asciugarti, showing that “you” are drying yourself. In Italian, a per + infinitive construction requires enclisis (attaching the pronoun to the infinitive).

Why do we use the reflexive asciugarti instead of the non-reflexive asciugare?

In Italian, when you dry your own hands, you use the reflexive form asciugarsi (“to dry oneself”). The clitic ti attached to asciugare turns it into asciugarti, meaning “to dry yourself.”

Why is there per + infinitive (per asciugarti) rather than a finite clause like che tu ti asciughi le mani?

The per + infinitive construction expresses purpose in a concise way, equivalent to “so that you can dry your hands.” A finite clause (che) would be more formal or emphatic; everyday speech favors per + inf.