Raccolgi le briciole dal tavolo e buttale via.
Pick up the crumbs from the table and throw them away.
Breakdown of Raccolgi le briciole dal tavolo e buttale via.
tu
you
il tavolo
the table
da
from
e
and
le
them
raccogliere
to pick up
la briciola
the crumb
buttare via
to throw away
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Questions & Answers about Raccolgi le briciole dal tavolo e buttale via.
Why does the imperative form raccolgi end in -i instead of -a?
Because raccogliere is a second-conjugation (-ere) verb. In Italian, the tu imperative of ‑ere and ‑ire verbs uses the same ending as the present indicative: tu raccogli → raccolgi! First-conjugation (-are) verbs, by contrast, switch from the indicative -i (tu mangi) to -a (mangia!) in the tu imperative.
Why don’t we include tu before raccolgi?
In Italian, subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is. With imperatives, you normally leave out tu, so raccolgi alone is understood as “(You) gather….”
What does the preposition dal in dal tavolo mean, and why not sul tavolo?
Dal is the contraction of da + il, meaning “from the.” So dal tavolo = “from the table.” You could say sul tavolo (“on the table”), but dal tavolo emphasizes taking the crumbs off the table surface.
Why is it tavolo and not tavola?
Tavolo is the everyday word for the piece of furniture. Tavola refers more to the table as a setting for a meal (and also to a board or plank). Here we’re talking about the physical table, so tavolo is correct.
What is buttare via, and could we just say buttare?
Buttare via literally means “to throw away.” Buttare by itself means “to throw,” without specifying “away.” If you said buttare le briciole, it could be misunderstood as “throw the crumbs (somewhere),” whereas buttare via clearly means “discard them.”
In buttale, what does le refer to, and why is it attached to the verb?
Le is a direct-object pronoun standing in for le briciole (feminine plural). In affirmative imperatives, Italian attaches object pronouns to the end of the verb: butta + le = buttale (“throw them away”).
Why didn’t the sentence attach the pronoun to raccolgi (i.e. say raccolgile)?
You could indeed say raccolgile (“gather them”). The author simply chose to spell out le briciole after raccolgi for clarity or emphasis. Either Raccolgi le briciole dal tavolo or Raccolgile dal tavolo is grammatically correct.
Could we use a different verb like gettare instead of buttare?
Yes. Gettare via le briciole also means “throw the crumbs away,” and gettale via would work just like buttale via. Buttare is more colloquial, while gettare is slightly more formal.