Attraversiamo la pianura prendendo una scorciatoia tra i campi.

to take

Breakdown of Attraversiamo la pianura prendendo una scorciatoia tra i campi.

• noi: we
• attraversare: to cross
• il campo: the field

Questions & Answers about Attraversiamo la pianura prendendo una scorciatoia tra i campi.

What does Attraversiamo mean, and what tense or mood is it?

Attraversiamo is the 1st-person plural of attraversare. In Italian it serves two roles:
• Present indicative (“we cross” or “we are crossing”)
• Informal “noi” imperative (“let’s cross”)
In this sentence it’s understood as “let’s cross the plain.”

Why is prendendo used here instead of a finite verb?

Prendendo is the present gerund of prendere. The gerund can express:
1) Manner or means – “by taking a shortcut.”
2) Simultaneity – “while taking a shortcut.”
Here it tells us how or while we cross the plain, we use a shortcut.

Could we replace the gerund construction with a subordinate clause?

Yes. Instead of “prendendo una scorciatoia,” you could say:
“Attraversiamo la pianura mentre prendiamo una scorciatoia…”
or
“…perché prendiamo una scorciatoia.”
But the gerund is more concise and idiomatic for “by/taking.”

Why is it una scorciatoia? What gender and number are these nouns?

• Scorciatoia ends in ‑a, so it’s feminine singular; hence una.
• Pianura also ends in ‑a (feminine singular), so it takes la.