Breakdown of Per tagliare l’aglio uso un piccolo coltello affilato.
piccolo
small
usare
to use
per
to
tagliare
to cut
il coltello
the knife
affilato
sharp
l'aglio
the garlic
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Questions & Answers about Per tagliare l’aglio uso un piccolo coltello affilato.
What does Per tagliare l’aglio literally mean and why is per + infinitive used here?
Per tagliare l’aglio literally means “In order to cut the garlic…” or simply “To cut garlic…”. In Italian, per + infinitive is the standard way to express purpose—just like “to + verb” in English when explaining why you do something.
Why is there a definite article in l’aglio when in English we say just garlic?
Italian usually puts a definite article before generic or mass nouns (especially foods). So tagliare l’aglio means “cutting garlic” in a general sense. English often drops the article with mass nouns, but Italian uses it to refer to the substance/category as a whole.
Why does lo become l’ before aglio?
Italian uses elision to avoid two vowels in a row. The article lo (used before masculine words starting with a vowel, z, or s+consonant) drops the o and becomes l’ before a vowel. Hence lo + aglio → l’aglio.
Why do we need the indefinite article un before piccolo coltello?
In Italian, singular countable nouns require an article. Here un is the masculine singular indefinite article (equivalent to “a” or “an”). So un piccolo coltello = “a small knife.”
Why is piccolo placed before coltello, but affilato comes after?
Adjective order in Italian affects emphasis and natural flow:
- Size adjectives (e.g., piccolo) typically go before the noun.
- Descriptive/quality adjectives (e.g., affilato, “sharp”) usually go after. While you could technically change the order, un piccolo coltello affilato is the most natural way to say “a small sharp knife.”
Could I also say Uso un piccolo coltello affilato per tagliare l’aglio? Is it correct?
Yes. Both orders are correct:
- Per tagliare l’aglio uso… emphasizes the purpose first.
- Uso un piccolo coltello affilato per tagliare l’aglio is the neutral/default order. The meaning remains the same.
What’s the difference between tagliare, tritare, and affettare for garlic?
- Tagliare = to cut or chop in a general way.
- Tritare = to finely chop or mince (very small pieces).
- Affettare = to slice thinly (like bacon or deli meat).
Choose the verb based on how you want the garlic prepared.
Why is there no preposition between uso and un coltello? Should it be uso di un coltello?
Here uso is the verb usare (“to use”), which is transitive, so it takes a direct object without a preposition: “Uso un coltello” = “I use a knife.”
If you instead use uso as a noun, you’d need di: “l’uso di un coltello” = “the use of a knife.”