Learn Hardcore Italian: Ho legato la tenda da campeggio con una fune molto resistente. - I tied the camping tent with a very sturdy rope.

Ho legato is the passato prossimo, a compound past tense used to describe a completed action. It’s formed with the present tense of the auxiliary verb avere (ho) + the past participle of legare, which is legato.

Why doesn’t the past participle legato agree in gender and number with la tenda?

With verbs that take avere as their auxiliary, the past participle remains in its masculine singular form, regardless of the direct object’s gender or number. Agreement only happens if a direct-object pronoun (la, lo, le, li) precedes the verb.

What does tenda da campeggio literally mean, and why is da used instead of per?

Literally tenda da campeggio means “tent for camping.” The preposition da + noun expresses purpose or intended use (“for camping”). Saying tenda per campeggio is less idiomatic; da is the standard choice here.

What role does con play in this sentence?

The preposition con introduces the instrument used to perform the action. Here it means “with,” indicating the rope is the tool used to tie the tent.

What’s the difference between fune and corda in Italian?

Both words mean “rope,” but fune usually refers to a thicker, heavier-duty rope (like ship’s rope), whereas corda can be thinner or more general-purpose (clothesline, jump rope, etc.).

Why is molto resistente placed after una fune?

Descriptive adjectives in Italian typically follow the noun. Molto intensifies resistente (“very strong/tough”), and together they naturally come after fune.

Could I say “Ho usato una fune molto resistente per legare la tenda da campeggio”? How does that compare?

Yes. Ho usato (“I used”) + per legare (“to tie”) is more explicit about the action’s purpose. The original with con is more concise: “I tied the tent with a very strong rope,” whereas this version says “I used a very strong rope to tie the tent.”

Does the adjective resistente change form for gender or number?

In the singular resistente (ending in -e) is the same for both masculine and feminine. In the plural it becomes resistenti (ending in -i) for both genders.

How do you pronounce the double consonants in campeggio?

Italian doubles are “held” longer. Campeggio is pronounced [kam-PEH-jjoh], with a slightly longer /ɟ/ sound for gg than you’d produce in a single consonant.