Purpose and Necessity with "da"
To express the purpose, function, or necessity of an object, Italian uses the preposition da followed by an infinitive verb. This structure usually translates to English as "to [verb]" or "for [verb]ing".
You will frequently see this pattern immediately following a noun to describe what that noun is meant for.
| On this table there are many objects to see. | Su questo tavolo ci sono molti oggetti da vedere. |
| I found an interesting book to read. | Ho trovato un libro interessante da leggere. |
With Indefinite Pronouns
This construction is also very common after indefinite words like qualcosa (something), niente (nothing), molto (a lot), and tanto (many).
| That stall always has something to sell. | Quella bancarella ha sempre qualcosa da vendere. |
| At that stall I had a lot to look at. | A quella bancarella avevo molto da guardare. |
Expressing What Needs to Be Done
Often, da + infinitive expresses that an action needs to be performed on an object. In English, this usually sounds passive ("to be restored", "to be thrown out"), but Italian simply uses the active infinitive.
| Do you have a piece of furniture to restore? | Hai un mobile da restaurare? |
| That broken chair is to be thrown out. | Quella sedia rotta è da buttare. |
This pattern is even used to describe traits like whether a price can be haggled over:
| The price of this coat is negotiable. | Il prezzo di questo cappotto è da trattare. |
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