Breakdown of Voglio distribuire volantini in città.
io
I
volere
to want
in
in
la città
the city
il volantino
the flyer
distribuire
to distribute
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Questions & Answers about Voglio distribuire volantini in città.
What is the function of voglio in this sentence, and why is it followed by the infinitive distribuire?
The verb volere (to want) here acts like a semi-modal verb and is directly followed by another verb in the infinitive (no preposition needed). So voglio distribuire literally means “I want to distribute.” You don’t say voglio che io distribuisca (with subjunctive) unless you want to add extra emphasis or complexity.
Why is there no article before volantini? When should I use an article with this noun?
Leaving out the article (bare plural) expresses a general action: you want to distribute flyers in general. If you say i volantini, you refer to specific, identifiable flyers (“the flyers”). If you want “some flyers,” you can introduce a partitive article: dei volantini.
How would I say I want to distribute some flyers in Italian? Would dei volantini work?
Yes, simply insert the partitive article:
Voglio distribuire dei volantini in città.
This means “I want to distribute some flyers in town.” Both this and the bare plural are common for unspecified quantities.
What is the difference between in città and in centro or other location phrases? Why is in used and no definite article?
In città means “in town” or “in the city” in a general sense. Italian often uses in with places (in ufficio, in biblioteca, in città) without an article when speaking abstractly or generally. If you want to specify which city as opposed to another, you could say nella città di Roma, but that’s more formal or geographically precise.
Could I use consegnare instead of distribuire for distributing flyers? What’s the nuance?
Yes – consegnare volantini means “to hand out” or “deliver” flyers, focusing on the act of giving them to people. Distribuire focuses on the broader process of distribution. Both are correct; distribuire is more idiomatic in advertising or campaign contexts.
Is there a more colloquial way to express distribute flyers, like fare il volantinaggio?
Absolutely. Fare il volantinaggio literally means “to do flyer distribution.” You could say:
Voglio fare il volantinaggio in città.
This is common jargon in marketing or event promotion.
Can I make this sentence more polite by replacing voglio with vorrei? How does that change the meaning?
Yes. Vorrei is the conditional of volere and softens the statement, making it more polite or tentative:
Vorrei distribuire volantini in città
= “I would like to distribute flyers in town.”
How do I pronounce volantini? Where is the stress?
Volantini is pronounced vo-lan-ˈti-ni. The stress falls on the third syllable: vo-lan-TI-ni.
If I want to use the future tense, how would I say I will distribute flyers in town?
Simply put distribuire into the future:
Distribuirò volantini in città.
Or with the partitive:
Distribuirò dei volantini in città.