Non scarico l’allegato perché è troppo grande.

I do not download the attachment because it is too large.

Breakdown of Non scarico l’allegato perché è troppo grande.

• io: I
• essere: to be
• non: not
• perché: because
• troppo: too
• grande: large
• scaricare: to download
• l’allegato: the attachment

Questions & Answers about Non scarico l’allegato perché è troppo grande.

Why does Italian use the simple present form scarico here to talk about downloading, instead of a progressive like “sto scaricando”?

In Italian the presente indicativo often expresses actions you are doing right now, including those we call present continuous in English. A progressive form exists (sto scaricando), but it’s optional. Using scarico is more concise and very common.

Why is there no subject pronoun io before scarico?

Italian is a pro-drop language. The verb ending -o on scarico already tells you the subject is “I” (io). You normally omit the pronoun unless you want to emphasize it.

Why is l’allegato used instead of just allegato, and why this article form?

• Allegato is a masculine noun starting with a vowel.
• Italian uses a definite article for a specific thing: l’allegato means “the attachment.”
• Lo (the masculine singular article) drops the o before a vowel and becomes l’ + allegato = l’allegato.

Could I use the indefinite article un allegato here instead of l’allegato?

Yes, but the meaning changes:

• Non scarico un allegato implies “I’m not downloading any attachment at all,” referring to an unspecified one.
• Non scarico l’allegato refers to one particular attachment you and the listener both know about.

Why does perché have an accent on the é?

• Perché (with an accent) means “because” (or “why”).
• The accent marks the stressed vowel and distinguishes it from other words. Without the accent, it would be spelled incorrectly in Italian.

What’s the difference between molto grande and troppo grande?

• Molto grande = “very big/large”; it intensifies the adjective without implying excess.
• Troppo grande = “too big/large”; it indicates something exceeds an acceptable limit (so you won’t download it).

Why is non placed before the verb scarico?

In Italian, the basic negation structure is non + [verb]. Non must precede the verb it negates (though you can add other negatives like mai or più after the verb).

How would I replace l’allegato with a direct object pronoun?

The pronoun for l’allegato (masculine singular) is lo. You place it before the verb:
• Original: Non scarico l’allegato perché è troppo grande.
• With pronoun: Non lo scarico perché è troppo grande.