Breakdown of Trovo cancelleria utile per lo studio.
io
I
trovare
to find
per
for
utile
useful
lo studio
the study
la cancelleria
the stationery
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Italian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Trovo cancelleria utile per lo studio.
What does cancelleria mean here?
It means stationery—the pens, notebooks, paper and other writing/office supplies you use for work or school.
Is cancelleria feminine or masculine, and is it countable?
Cancelleria is a feminine noun and usually treated as a mass (uncountable) noun when you talk about stationery in general. You wouldn’t say due cancellerie. If you need to count, you’d switch to countable items—per esempio, due penne, tre quaderni, ecc.
Why is there no article before cancelleria? Wouldn’t we need la?
In Italian, generic statements about uncountable things often use the definite article (la cancelleria). However, after certain verbs like trovo plus noun + adjective, Italians frequently omit the article when speaking generally:
Trovo cancelleria utile → I find stationery useful.
That said, you can perfectly well say Trovo la cancelleria utile with the same meaning.
Why is utile placed after cancelleria? Can I say utile cancelleria?
Most Italian adjectives follow the noun: cancelleria utile. Placing an adjective before the noun (utile cancelleria) is grammatically possible but gives a more emphatic or poetic nuance. In everyday speech stick with noun + adjective.
Why per lo studio instead of per studiare?
Both are correct:
- Per lo studio uses studio as a noun (the act/process of studying) → literally for the study.
- Per studiare uses the infinitive (to study).
Per studiare is more common in conversation; per lo studio can sound slightly more formal or literary.
Why is it lo and not il before studio?
Italian has two masculine singular definite articles: il and lo. You use lo before words that start with s + consonant, z, ps, pn, gn, x, y. Since studio begins with st, you need lo studio.
Can I use utile allo studio instead of per lo studio?
Yes. Utile allo studio (literally useful to the study) is very idiomatic and common. Choosing between per lo studio and allo studio is mostly a matter of register or personal style—both convey useful for studying.
What’s the difference between cancelleria and cartoleria?
- Cancelleria = the stationery items themselves (pens, quaderni, evidenziatori, ecc.).
- Cartoleria = the shop where you buy those items.
You go in cartoleria to buy cancelleria.