Learn Hardcore Italian: Pulisco il parabrezza con un detergente speciale. - I clean the windshield with a special cleaner.

pulisco means I clean. It is the first person singular present indicative of pulire (to clean). pulire belongs to a subgroup of -ire verbs that insert -isc- between the stem and endings in the forms io, tu, lui/lei and loro (pulisco, pulisci, pulisce, puliscono), while noi and voi use puliamo and pulite without -isc-.

How is pulire different from lavare?

Both can translate as "to clean" or "to wash," but lavare usually implies washing with water (e.g. washing clothes, dishes, hands), whereas pulire is more general—removing dirt, dust or stains with any tool or product. You’d normally pulire il parabrezza (clean the windshield) but you might say lavo il parabrezza if you focus on rinsing it with water.

Why is parabrezza masculine even though it ends with -a?

parabrezza is masculine because it’s a borrowing (from French pare-brise) that retains masculine gender. Italian has a few common nouns ending in -a that are masculine (e.g. il problema, il programma, il parabrezza), so you must learn their gender case by case.

How do you form the plural of parabrezza?

parabrezza is invariable in its ending, so the plural keeps the same form: i parabrezza. You only change the article from il to i.

Why is the definite article il used before parabrezza?

In Italian you normally require a definite article before a specific singular noun. Pulisco il parabrezza means “I clean the windshield” (the one on my car). Without an article (Pulisco parabrezza) it sounds ungrammatical. If you meant "a windshield" in general you’d say Pulisco un parabrezza.

What part of speech is detergente, and is it used here as a noun or adjective?

detergente can be both an adjective (“cleansing”) and a noun (“cleaner” or “detergent”). In this sentence it’s a noun: un detergente speciale = “a special cleaning product” (i.e. a cleaner).

Why is con used in con un detergente speciale, and could you say it differently?

con means “with” and introduces the instrument or tool you’re using. You could rephrase as:

Usando un detergente speciale, pulisco il parabrezza. (“Using a special cleaner…”)
Per pulire il parabrezza, uso un detergente speciale. (“To clean the windshield, I use a special cleaner.”)
But con
- noun is the simplest way to express “with” in Italian.

Why is speciale placed after detergente, and what happens if you move it before?

Most descriptive adjectives in Italian follow the noun: detergente speciale. You can say un speciale detergente, but that fronting adds emphasis or sounds more literary (“a special kind of cleaner”). Note also that speciale ends in -e for both masculine and feminine singular, and becomes speciali in the plural.