Breakdown of Mescolo la zuppa con un mestolo di legno.
io
I
di
of
con
with
la zuppa
the soup
il legno
the wood
mescolare
to stir
il mestolo
the ladle
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Questions & Answers about Mescolo la zuppa con un mestolo di legno.
What does mescolo mean, and what tense/person form is it?
Mescolo is the first-person singular present indicative of the verb mescolare, meaning I stir. You use this form when the subject is “I.” For “you stir” you’d say mescoli, for “he/she stirs” mescola, and so on.
Can I swap mescolo with mischio or girare?
You could use mischiare (to mix) in some cooking contexts, but Italians typically use mescolare when stirring ingredients in a pot. Girare literally means “to turn” and is less common for stirring soup. Synonyms like rimestare or amalgamare exist but sound more formal or technical.
Why is there la before zuppa?
In Italian, singular countable nouns usually require a definite article. Zuppa is feminine singular, so you say la zuppa. Omitting the article (as you might in English) isn’t standard in everyday Italian sentences.
What exactly is a mestolo, and how is it different from a cucchiaio?
A mestolo is a ladle—a large, deep spoon used to serve or stir soups and stews. A cucchiaio is an ordinary spoon, smaller and shallower. You’d stir soup with a mestolo, not with a regular cucchiaio.
Why do we say con un mestolo di legno and not in un mestolo di legno?
Con indicates the instrument or tool used to perform an action (“with a ladle”). The preposition in would mean “inside.” To indicate the material something is made of, you use di, as in di legno (“of wood” = wooden).
Why is it di legno instead of in legno when describing the material?
When stating what something is made of, Italians generally use di + material: un mestolo di legno. In legno also exists but is more common for larger objects (e.g., una casa in legno). For small tools like a ladle, di is preferred.
Could I use col mestolo di legno or con il mestolo di legno instead of con un mestolo di legno?
Yes. Col is a contraction of con il and means “with the.” You’d use il (or col) if you refer to a specific ladle known to the listener. Un is indefinite (any ladle), so con un mestolo di legno means “with a wooden ladle.” All three are grammatically correct but convey slightly different contexts.