Breakdown of Prova a indovinare il colore del fiore.
tu
you
di
of
il fiore
the flower
il colore
the color
provare
to try
a
to
indovinare
to guess
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Questions & Answers about Prova a indovinare il colore del fiore.
In Prova a indovinare il colore del fiore, what is the grammatical function and person of prova?
Prova here is the second-person singular informal imperative of provare (“to try/test”). When you give a command or suggestion to someone you address as tu, you use the imperative. So prova means “(you) try.”
Why is there a preposition a between prova and indovinare?
When provare means “to try” followed by another verb, it always takes a before the infinitive. The structure is provare a + infinitive (“to try to do something”). Omitting a would be ungrammatical.
What is the form and meaning of indovinare?
Indovinare is the infinitive form (the unconjugated base) of the verb meaning “to guess.” In Italian, infinitives typically end in -are, -ere or -ire.
What does del stand for in del fiore, and why is it used instead of di il?
Del is the contraction of the preposition di and the definite article il. So del fiore literally means “of the flower” or “the flower’s.” Italians merge di + il → del whenever they occur together.
Why is there a definite article il before colore?
Italian uses definite articles much more frequently than English. In il colore, the article makes the noun specific (“the color” of that particular flower). Without il, the phrase would sound incomplete or too vague.
Could I say cerca di indovinare instead of prova a indovinare, and is there any nuance?
Yes. Cercare di + infinitive also means “to try to” do something. The nuance is subtle: cercare often implies a deliberate effort over time, while provare can feel more like “give it a shot” or “experiment.” In this example, they’re interchangeable:
Cerca di indovinare il colore del fiore.
How do you pronounce fiore, and where is the stress?
Fiore is pronounced /ˈfjo.re/ (roughly “FYO-reh”). The io forms a single sound like English yo, so it’s two syllables with stress on the first: FIO-re.
How would I translate Don’t try to guess the color of the flower into Italian?
You place non before the imperative without changing anything else:
Non provare a indovinare il colore del fiore.