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Questions & Answers about Il pizzaiolo stende l’impasto con maggiore cura che mai.
What does stende mean and what is its infinitive?
Stende is the third-person singular present indicative of stendere, which means “to spread,” “to roll out,” or “to stretch.”
Why is there an apostrophe in l’impasto?
The apostrophe marks elision: the vowel i of the definite article il is dropped before the vowel i in impasto, creating l’.
What part of speech is maggiore, and what’s its base form?
Maggiore is a comparative adjective. Its base (positive) form is grande (“big” or “great”), and here it modifies the noun cura.
What is the function of con in con maggiore cura che mai?
Con is a preposition indicating manner—it tells us “with” what quality the action is done (i.e., with greater care).
What does con maggiore cura che mai literally mean, and why use che mai instead of di sempre?
Literally, con maggiore cura che mai means “with greater care than ever.” The phrase che mai (“than ever”) is the standard Italian comparative connector here. You could say più cura di sempre in casual speech, but che mai is more idiomatic with maggiore.
Is maggiore cura che mai the same as più cura che mai, and why choose one over the other?
Yes, both mean “more care than ever.” Maggiore cura che mai sounds more formal or literary, while più cura che mai is more colloquial.
Why is maggiore placed before cura instead of after it?
In Italian, attributive adjectives—especially comparatives—typically precede the noun they modify, so maggiore comes before cura.