Learn Hardcore Italian: Secondo il libraio, quel saggio è raro e molto richiesto. - According to the bookseller, that essay is rare and much sought-after.

Secondo is a preposition meaning “according to.” It introduces someone’s point of view, just like “according to” in English. It’s not the ordinal number “second.”

Do we always need the definite article after secondo, as in secondo il libraio?

Yes, when you refer to someone by a common noun (il libraio, il professore, etc.), you include the article: secondo il libraio, secondo il professore. If you use a pronoun (me, te, lui) or a proper name (Paolo, Maria), you drop it: secondo me, secondo Carla.

What exactly does libraio mean here? How is it different from bibliotecario?

Libraio means “bookseller,” the person who owns or works in a bookshop. A bibliotecario is a “librarian,” someone who works in a library. Don’t confuse the two!

How do I choose the correct form of quel in quel saggio?

Italian demonstratives agree with the gender, number, and initial letter of the noun. For masculine singular you have:

quel before most consonants (quel libro)
quello before z, s+consonant, gn, ps, pn, x, y (quello zaino, quello studente)
quell’ before a vowel (quell’amico)
Since saggio starts with s+a (i.e. a consonant + vowel), you treat it like a normal consonant word and use quel saggio.

What does saggio mean here?

Here saggio is a masculine noun meaning “essay” or “treatise.” Although saggio can mean “wise” or “sage” (as a noun), context (the bookseller talking about a book) tells you it’s “essay.”

Why is richiesto in its past-participle form? Is it an adjective or part of a passive?

In this sentence richiesto is the past participle of richiedere used as a predicate adjective meaning “in demand.” It describes the state of the essay; it’s not forming a passive voice here.

Why do we put molto before richiesto? Is molto an adverb or an adjective?

Molto is an adverb modifying the adjective richiesto (“demanded”), so molto richiesto means “highly demanded” or “in great demand.” When molto modifies adjectives, it stays invariable and comes before the adjective.

Why are the adjectives raro and richiesto placed after the noun? Could they go before?

In Italian, descriptive adjectives typically follow the noun: quel saggio è raro. You can put some adjectives before the noun for stylistic reasons (emphasis, poetry, idiom), but the neutral word order is after. With a compound phrase (raro e molto richiesto) it sounds most natural after the noun.

Can I switch the order to say quel saggio è molto raro e richiesto?

You can, but be careful: molto raro e richiesto literally means “very rare and (just) requested,” which sounds odd. Keeping it as raro e molto richiesto clearly separates “rare” from “highly in demand.”

Could I say tanto richiesto instead of molto richiesto? What’s the nuance?

Yes. Tanto richiesto means “so much in demand” and feels a bit more colloquial. Molto richiesto (“highly in demand”) is more neutral or formal. Use whichever fits your register.