Breakdown of Prima di partire controlleremo di non aver dimenticato neppure un guanto di gomma.
avere
to have
di
of
non
not
noi
we
controllare
to check
partire
to leave
prima
before
dimenticare
to forget
il guanto
the glove
neppure
even
la gomma
the rubber
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Questions & Answers about Prima di partire controlleremo di non aver dimenticato neppure un guanto di gomma.
What does Prima di partire mean, and why is di used before the infinitive?
Prima di partire literally means “before leaving” (or “before we leave”). In Italian, when you put prima (“before”) directly in front of a verb, you always follow it with di + the infinitive. You don’t need a conjunction like che or a subjunctive—just prima di + infinitive.
Why is controlleremo di non aver dimenticato used instead of something like “we will check that we haven’t forgotten”?
Italian often uses controllare di + infinitive to mean “to make sure (of) doing something.” Here controlleremo di + the perfect infinitive aver dimenticato expresses “we will make sure we have not forgotten.” Using che + subjunctive (e.g. controlleremo che non abbiamo dimenticato) is possible but more formal or stiff.
What tense is controlleremo, and how does it compare to English?
Controlleremo is the future indicative (1st person plural) of controllare: “we will check” or “we will make sure.” You use it just like the English simple future: for actions that will happen after the moment of speaking.
Why does the sentence say di non aver dimenticato instead of di non dimenticare?
Because the checking happens after the risk of forgetting. You’re making sure something has already happened (or not happened). For that, Italian uses the perfect infinitive (di + aver/essere + past participle) to show a completed action. Here, aver dimenticato means “to have forgotten.”
Can you break down the perfect infinitive aver dimenticato?
Sure:
– aver is the archaic/poetic form of avere (to have) used before another verb.
– dimenticato is the past participle of dimenticare (to forget).
Put together, aver dimenticato = “to have forgotten.”
What does neppure add to the sentence, and how is it different from nemmeno or neanche?
All three—neppure, nemmeno, neanche—can mean “not even” or “nor.” Neppure is slightly more emphatic or formal. Here it stresses that not even one rubber glove must be missing. You could swap them in most contexts, but neppure is the choice in this sentence.
Why is it neppure un guanto di gomma instead of just neppure un guanto?
Because guanto di gomma specifies the type of glove—“rubber glove.” The di in guanto di gomma indicates material/composition: a glove made “of” rubber.
Could you rephrase the entire sentence in English, keeping the nuance?
“Before we leave, we’ll make sure we haven’t forgotten even a single rubber glove.”