Avvita la lampadina con attenzione.

Screw in the light bulb carefully.

Breakdown of Avvita la lampadina con attenzione.

• la lampadina: the light bulb
• con attenzione: carefully
• avvitare: to screw in

Questions & Answers about Avvita la lampadina con attenzione.

What does the verb avvita mean and what is its infinitive form?

Avvita is the third person singular present imperative (tu-form) of the verb avvitare, which means “to screw” or “to tighten by screwing.” In this sentence, it’s a command meaning “Screw in.”

Why isn’t there a subject pronoun before avvita?

In Italian imperatives for tu, the subject pronoun tu is usually omitted because the verb ending already indicates the person. So instead of saying tu avvita, you simply say avvita.

What is the role of la before lampadina?

Here la is the definite article “the,” agreeing in gender (feminine) and number (singular) with lampadina (“lightbulb”). It’s not a pronoun but an article introducing the noun.

Could I use a direct object pronoun instead of the article and noun?

Yes. You could replace la lampadina with the feminine singular direct object pronoun la. Then you must attach it to the imperative, yielding Avvitala con attenzione (“Screw it in carefully”).

Why is con attenzione used instead of the adverb attentamente?

Both are possible. Con attenzione (“with attention”) is a prepositional phrase emphasizing the manner, while attentamente is a single adverb meaning “carefully.” You could say Avvita la lampadina attentamente as well.

Can I move con attenzione to the beginning of the sentence?

Yes. Italian word order is flexible for adverbial phrases. You can say Con attenzione, avvita la lampadina or Avvita con attenzione la lampadina; the meaning stays the same.

How do I make this instruction polite or formal?

For the formal (Lei) imperative you use the third person present subjunctive form: Avviti la lampadina con attenzione.

What’s the difference between avvitare and svitare?

Avvitare means “to screw in” or “tighten by screwing,” while svitare means “to unscrew” or “loosen by unscrewing.” They are opposites.