Anziché allearci, restiamo avversari.

to remain

Breakdown of Anziché allearci, restiamo avversari.

• anziché: instead of
• l'avversario: the opponent
• allearsi: to team up; form an alliance

Questions & Answers about Anziché allearci, restiamo avversari.

What does anziché mean here, and is it similar to invece di?

Yes. Here anziché means instead of or rather than.

So Anziché allearci means rather than allying ourselves.

It is very close in meaning to invece di allearci. In many contexts they are interchangeable, though anziché can sound a bit more formal or polished.

Why is it allearci and not alleare?

Because the verb is allearsi, not just alleare.

Allearsi means to form an alliance / to ally oneself. It is a pronominal/reflexive form, so it includes the pronoun si in the dictionary form.

When you attach that pronoun to the infinitive, -si changes according to the person:

• allearmi = to ally myself
• allearti = to ally yourself
• allearsi = to ally himself/herself/themselves
• allearci = to ally ourselves

So allearci means for us to ally ourselves.

Is ci in allearci really reflexive? What exactly does it refer to?