Prendile un bicchiere d’acqua prima che inizi a parlare.

the glass

Breakdown of Prendile un bicchiere d’acqua prima che inizi a parlare.

• di: of
• prendere: to get
• iniziare: to start

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’.