Alla fine della giornata accendo una candela profumata alla menta.

At the end of the day I light a mint-scented candle.

Breakdown of Alla fine della giornata accendo una candela profumata alla menta.

• di: of
• la giornata: the day
• la fine: the end
• accendere: to light
• profumato: scented
• la menta: the mint
• la candela: the candle

Questions & Answers about Alla fine della giornata accendo una candela profumata alla menta.

Why is it della giornata and not just di giornata or del giorno in Alla fine della giornata?

• della is the contraction of di + la, meaning “of the.”
• Italian typically requires the definite article in time expressions: alla fine della giornata = “at the end of the day.”
• di giornata (no article) is ungrammatical here.
• del giorno (di + il giorno) would also work but shifts nuance: giornata emphasizes the whole span of daylight hours or a day’s experience, whereas giorno is more neutral.

What’s the difference between giorno and giornata?

• Giorno (masculine) often points to a date or a point on the calendar (“il primo giorno di scuola”).
• Giornata (feminine) highlights the duration or quality of the day (“una giornata faticosa,” “la giornata è bella”).
In our sentence, giornata stresses the whole day you’ve been through.

Why is alla menta used instead of di menta or con menta?

• In Italian, flavors or scents are usually introduced by a + definite article, giving alla menta (“mint-flavored/scented”).
• di menta would literally mean “made from mint,” which is odd for a candle.
• con menta means “with mint,” as if it physically contains mint leaves—also not typical for scent descriptions.

Why does profumata come after candela and not before it?

• Italian adjectives can go before or after nouns, but past-participial adjectives like profumato/a usually follow the noun to describe an inherent quality.
• candela profumata sounds natural: “scented candle.”
• Placing profumata before can add emphasis or a poetic tone: “la profumata candela” (less common in everyday speech).

Why is profumata feminine (ending in –a)?

• Adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they modify.
• Candela is feminine singular, so profumata takes the feminine singular ending –a.

Why is the present tense accendo used instead of a future tense like accenderò?

• Italian often uses the present tense for habitual actions (“Every evening I light…”).
• Accendo una candela profumata alla menta implies you regularly do this at day’s end.
• If you intended a one-time future action: Alla fine della giornata, accenderò una candela profumata alla menta.

Do you need the subject pronoun io in (Io) accendo una candela…?

• No. Italian is a pro-drop language: the verb ending -o signals first-person singular.
• You only use io for emphasis: Io accendo una candela profumata alla menta (I, in particular, light a mint-scented candle).

What does alla fine literally mean?

• Alla = a + la = “to the” or “at the.”
• Fine means “end.”
• So alla fine = literally “at the end.” Combined with della giornata, you get “at the end of the day.”

Could you say profumata alla menta before candela, as in la profumata alla menta candela?

• That word order is ungrammatical.
• You could say la candela profumata alla menta or, more formally/poetically, la profumata candela alla menta, but never insert alla menta between la and candela without breaking the flow.