Porto l’acqua alla torre antica.

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Breakdown of Porto l’acqua alla torre antica.

• portare: to bring
• antico: ancient
• la torre: the tower

Questions & Answers about Porto l’acqua alla torre antica.

What does porto mean in this sentence?

Porto is the first-person singular present tense of the verb portare, meaning “I bring” or “I carry.” So in Porto l’acqua… you’re saying “I bring the water…”

Why does l’acqua have an apostrophe?

Because acqua begins with a vowel, the feminine singular article la elides (drops its a) and becomes l’.
la + acqua → l’acqua
This elision makes pronunciation smoother.

Why do we use alla instead of a la?

Italian prepositions often contract with definite articles. Here:
a (to) + la (the, feminine) → alla
Similarly:
 • a + il → al
 • a + i → ai
 • a + gli → agli
etc.

What is the function of alla torre antica? Is it an indirect object?

No, it’s not an indirect object (which usually involves a person). Alla torre antica is a complement of motion toward a place (complemento di moto a luogo). It tells us where you bring the water.