Breakdown of Prendo un altro libro dal tavolo.
io
I
il tavolo
the table
prendere
to take
il libro
the book
da
from
altro
another
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Questions & Answers about Prendo un altro libro dal tavolo.
What does prendo mean, and why isn’t there a distinct “I am taking” form in Italian?
Prendo is the first-person singular present indicative of prendere, so it literally means “I take.” In Italian, the simple present also covers what in English is the continuous (“I am taking”). If you really want to stress that it’s happening right now, you can use the periphrastic form sto prendendo, but most of the time prendo is enough.
Why is the subject pronoun io omitted in Prendo un altro libro dal tavolo?
Italian verb endings already show the subject, so you don’t need io for clarity. Adding io would be redundant unless you want special emphasis: Io prendo un altro libro dal tavolo.
Why do we say un altro libro instead of just altro libro?
In Italian, singular nouns modified by an indefinite adjective generally require an article. So you need un before altro libro. Without it, the phrase sounds incomplete.
When should I use un versus uno before altro?
Use un before masculine nouns that start with a vowel or most consonants (e.g. un libro, un amico). Use uno before masculine nouns beginning with s + consonant, z, gn, ps, etc. (e.g. uno studente, uno zaino). Since libro begins with l, you say un altro libro.
Why is the adjective altro in the masculine singular form?
Adjectives in Italian must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Libro is masculine singular, so altro is also masculine singular. Feminine singular would be altra, and plurals would be altri (m.) or altre (f.).
What does dal mean in this sentence?
Dal is a contraction of da + il, meaning “from the.” So dal tavolo translates as “from the table.” Whenever you use da with a definite article, you contract: dal, dallo, dalla, dai, dagli, dalle.
Why is da used here instead of di, su, or in?
- da expresses origin or point of departure (from).
- di often marks possession or material.
- su means on (location).
- in means in/into.
Since you’re taking something away from the table, da (from) is the correct preposition: dal tavolo.
Can I say prendo un altro libro sulla tavola or alla tavola?
No.
- sulla tavola means “on the table” (where it is), not from.
- alla tavola means “to the table” (destination).
To convey removing an item, you need dal tavolo (from the table).
How would I express “I’ll take another book from the table” in Italian?
Use the future tense:
Prenderò un altro libro dal tavolo.
How can I replace un altro libro with a pronoun if I’ve already mentioned the books?
Use the partitive pronoun ne, which stands in for “of them.”
Ne prendo un altro dal tavolo.
Literally, “I take another of them from the table.”