Breakdown of Il falegname carteggia la sedia prima di dipingerla.
la sedia
the chair
prima di
before
la
it
dipingere
to paint
il falegname
the carpenter
carteggiare
to sand
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Questions & Answers about Il falegname carteggia la sedia prima di dipingerla.
What does carteggiare mean, and how does carteggia relate to it?
carteggiare means “to sand” or “to sandpaper” (a surface). carteggia is the third-person singular present indicative of that verb. So il falegname carteggia means “the carpenter sands.”
Why is la attached to dipingere, forming dipingerla?
In Italian, direct-object pronouns can be enclitic (i.e. attached) to infinitives. Here, dipingerla = dipingere + la, where la is the pronoun referring back to la sedia.
Why is the pronoun la used, and not lo?
Italian nouns have grammatical gender. sedia is feminine, so its direct-object pronoun is la. lo would refer to a masculine noun (for example, il tavolo → lo).
What is the function of prima di + infinitive in this sentence?
prima di + infinitive means “before doing something.” Here, prima di dipingerla literally means “before painting it.”
Could we use prima che instead of prima di + infinitive?
Yes, but with a different structure:
• prima di + infinitive: “Il falegname carteggia la sedia prima di dipingerla.”
• prima che + subjunctive: “Il falegname carteggia la sedia prima che la dipinga.”
Why do we say il falegname and la sedia with definite articles in Italian?
Italian normally requires definite articles before professions and common nouns:
• il before masculine singular professions/roles (il falegname)
• la before feminine singular nouns (la sedia)
What is the subject and what is the direct object in this sentence (both in full and as a pronoun)?
Subject: il falegname
Direct object (full noun): la sedia
Direct object (pronoun): la in dipingerla, which refers back to la sedia.