Frenare l'auto per evitare un incidente è essenziale.

to be

Breakdown of Frenare l'auto per evitare un incidente è essenziale.

• l'auto: the car
• per: to
• evitare: to avoid

Questions & Answers about Frenare l'auto per evitare un incidente è essenziale.

Why is the infinitive frenare used as the subject in this sentence?

In Italian, you can use a bare infinitive as a nominalized verb to act as the sentence’s subject. Here, Frenare l’auto per evitare un incidente is the entire subject (the concept of "braking the car to avoid an accident"), so the infinitive frenare introduces that idea.

Do we need an article before frenare (like il frenare)?

No. The bare infinitive is sufficient to nominalize the action. Adding an article (e.g. Il frenare…) is grammatically possible but less common and can sound more formal or abstract.

Why is la auto written as l’auto instead?

Before a vowel, the feminine singular article la elides to l’, dropping the vowel. So la auto becomes l’auto.

Why use per evitare instead of per di evitare or another preposition?