Breakdown of Il bambino vuole patate fritte adesso.
Questions & Answers about Il bambino vuole patate fritte adesso.
Italian is a pro-drop language: the verb ending on vuole (–e) already indicates third person singular (“he” or “she”). Since you’ve specified il bambino, adding lui would be redundant unless you want extra emphasis:
“Il bambino (lui) vuole…” is grammatically possible but usually unnecessary.
Vuole is the third person singular present indicative of the irregular verb volere (“to want”). Its full present-tense conjugation is:
io voglio, tu vuoi, lui/lei vuole, noi vogliamo, voi volete, loro vogliono.
Here, vuole means “he wants.”
When expressing a desire for something (an object), Italian allows volere + direct object without an infinitive.
Example: Vuole patate fritte = “He wants fries.”
If you want to emphasize the action “to eat,” you can add the infinitive:
Il bambino vuole mangiare patate fritte (“The child wants to eat fried potatoes”).
The partitive article delle (“some”) specifies an indefinite quantity:
Vorrei delle patate fritte = “I’d like some fries.”
Omitting the article (as in vuole patate fritte) still conveys “wants fries” in a general or less formal sense. Both are correct; using delle is often more polite or precise.
Most Italian adjectives—especially past participles used as adjectives—follow the noun:
patate fritte = “potatoes fried.”
This noun-adjective order is standard for clarity. Some adjectives can precede the noun for stylistic emphasis, but not past participles in everyday descriptions.
Adverbs like adesso (“now”) often appear after the verb or at the sentence end in Italian. You can also move it without changing meaning, though emphasis shifts slightly:
• Adesso il bambino vuole patate fritte.
• Il bambino adesso vuole patate fritte.
• Il bambino vuole patate fritte adesso.
All are correct; choice depends on rhythm and focus.
Both mean “now.” Adesso is slightly more colloquial and immediate, while ora is neutral and can also refer to “the hour.” In most contexts they’re interchangeable:
Il bambino vuole patate fritte ora.