Breakdown of Prendile un bicchiere d’acqua prima che inizi a parlare.
il bicchiere
the glass
di
of
prendere
to get
iniziare
to start
a
to
parlare
to speak
le
her
prima che
before
l’acqua
the water
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Questions & Answers about Prendile un bicchiere d’acqua prima che inizi a parlare.
What is the form and meaning of prendile?
Prendile combines the second-person singular imperative prendi (“take”) with the enclitic pronoun le (“to her”). It literally means “take for her” and idiomatically “get her” or “bring her.”
Why is le used here, and what does it refer to?
Le is the third-person singular feminine indirect object pronoun. In this sentence, it indicates that the glass of water is being taken for her (a female person).
Why is the pronoun placed after the verb in prendile, instead of before?
In affirmative imperatives, Italian enclitic pronouns attach to the end of the verb (e.g., prendi + le = prendile). In negative imperatives the pronoun precedes the verb (e.g., Non le prendere).
Why is it un bicchiere d’acqua and not una bicchiere di acqua?
Bicchiere is a masculine noun, so it takes un. D’acqua is the contracted form of di acqua (“of water”) because di before a vowel drops the i and becomes d’.
What is the function of prima che, and why is it followed by inizii?
Prima che means “before” when it introduces a subordinate clause. It requires the subjunctive, so inizii is the third-person singular present subjunctive of iniziare (“to begin”), yielding “before she starts speaking.”
Why must the subjunctive mood be used after prima che?
Conjunctions expressing anticipation or non-realized events (like prima che) trigger the subjunctive in Italian, because they refer to an action that has not yet occurred.
Could you rephrase the sentence using an infinitive instead of the subjunctive? How and what’s the difference?
Yes. You can say Prendile un bicchiere d’acqua prima di iniziare a parlare. Here prima di + infinitive (iniziare) replaces prima che + subjunctive. The meaning is the same, but prima di + infinitive is a more straightforward, often less formal alternative.
Why is there no subject pronoun in either clause?
Italian normally omits subject pronouns because verb endings already show who is doing the action. Prendi implies tu, and inizii implies lei, so explicit pronouns are unnecessary.