Devo rifornire l’auto di benzina prima di prendere l’autostrada.

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Breakdown of Devo rifornire l’auto di benzina prima di prendere l’autostrada.

• di: of
• l'auto: the car
• dovere: to have to

Questions & Answers about Devo rifornire l’auto di benzina prima di prendere l’autostrada.

What does devo mean, and where does it come from?

Devo means I must, I have to, or I need to.

It is the 1st person singular form of dovere (to have to / must):

• io devo = I have to
• tu devi = you have to
• lui/lei deve = he/she has to

In this sentence, devo rifornire... means I need to refuel... or I have to fill up...

What does rifornire mean here?

Here rifornire means to refuel or to supply with fuel.

So:

• rifornire l’auto = to refuel the car

It is a bit more formal or standard than everyday spoken alternatives. In conversation, Italians very often say:

• fare benzina = to get gas / to fill up

So a very natural everyday version of the sentence would be:

• Devo fare benzina prima di prendere l’autostrada.

Why is it l’auto and not just auto?

Because auto is being used with the definite article la (the), and la becomes l’ before a vowel.

So:

• la auto → l’auto

This is called elision.

The same thing happens with:

• la autostrada → l’autostrada