Breakdown of Prima della gita controllo la cartina e preparo una bottiglia d’acqua fresca.
io
I
di
of
l'acqua
the water
preparare
to prepare
e
and
fresco
fresh
controllare
to check
prima
before
la bottiglia
the bottle
la cartina
the map
la gita
the trip
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Questions & Answers about Prima della gita controllo la cartina e preparo una bottiglia d’acqua fresca.
Why is it della gita instead of di la gita?
In Italian you often merge di (of) + a definite article. Here di + la becomes della. This is called an articulated preposition.
• di + il → del
• di + lo → dello
• di + la → della
• di + l’ → dell’
• di + i → dei
…and so on.
Why is the verb controllo in the present tense, even though it refers to a future trip?
Italian commonly uses the present indicative to talk about scheduled or imminent actions. In English we might say “I’ll check” (future), but in Italian controllo (I check) is perfectly natural for “I check (before we go).”
What’s the difference between cartina and mappa?
• cartina: a small, often simplified map or guide (e.g. for hikes or city strolls)
• mappa: a more formal or detailed map (e.g. atlas maps, geographical maps)
You’d use cartina for a pocket map of a park or town.
Why is there an apostrophe in d’acqua?
Because acqua starts with a vowel. Italian drops the vowel in di before another vowel, so di acqua → d’acqua. This makes speech smoother.
Why is the adjective fresca placed after acqua? Why not fresca acqua?
In Italian most descriptive adjectives follow the noun: acqua fresca. Placing an adjective before a noun often adds a poetic or subjective nuance, or indicates a limited set of common adjectives (like bello, grande). For everyday descriptions you’ll usually say acqua fresca.
Why is there a definite article la before cartina but an indefinite article una before bottiglia?
• la cartina: here you’re talking about “the map” you intend to check—it’s a specific object in context.
• una bottiglia: you’re preparing “a bottle” in general, not a specific one already identified.
Italian articles (definite vs. indefinite) match how specific or general the noun is.
Could you say preparo bottiglia d’acqua fresca without any articles?
No. In Italian almost every noun needs an article (definite or indefinite) unless it’s a proper name or part of a few set expressions. You must say preparo una bottiglia d’acqua fresca. Dropping una would sound ungrammatical.