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When tackling do-it-yourself projects (*il bricolage*), instructions can sometimes be confusing. Italian uses specific explanatory markers to rephrase steps and clarify exactly what tools or actions are needed.

### Clarifying Terms with *ovvero*

Use **ovvero** ("namely" or "or rather") to introduce a simpler equivalent or an explanation for a specific term.

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### Simplifying Instructions with *in altre parole*

Use **in altre parole** ("in other words") to rephrase a whole concept or summarize an action more directly.

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### Specifying Details with *vale a dire*

To pinpoint exactly what you mean, use **vale a dire** ("that is to say"). It specifies which tool, material, or action is required after a general statement.

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Rephrasing (in altre parole, ovvero)

adjective

adjective/adverb

adverb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

preposition

pronoun

proper noun

sentence

verb

Definite articles and gender (il, la, l')

Indefinite articles (un, una)

Singular demonstratives (questo, questa)

Basic verbal negation (non)

Yes/No questions

Coordinating conjunctions (e, ma, o)

Regular plurals and definite articles (-i, -e, i, le)

Plural verb to be (noi siamo, voi siete)

Plural demonstratives (questi, queste)

Nouns ending in -e

Special singular articles (lo, l')

The plural article (gli)

Special indefinite articles (uno, un')

Demonstrative adjectives (quello, quella)

Adjective endings (-o, -a, -i, -e)

Expressing quantity (molto, poco, tanto)

The verb to have (ho, hai, ha...)

There is / there are (c'è, ci sono)

The preposition of (di)

Singular possessives (il mio, la mia)

Numbers 1 to 10 (uno, due, tre...)

Numbers 11 to 20 (undici, dodici...)

Numbers 21 to 100 (trenta, quaranta...)

Idiomatic avere (avere fame, avere anni)

Plural possessive adjectives (i miei, le mie)

Possessives with family members (mio padre)

Formal address (dare del Lei)

Present tense of -are verbs (-o, -i, -a)

Question words (chi, cosa, dove)

Present tense of -ere verbs (-o, -i, -e)

Question words (quando, come, perché)

Question word agreement (quanto, quanta, quanti, quante)

Regular -ire verbs

Verbs with -isc- (capisco, capisci, capisce)

Pronouns after prepositions (me, te, lui)

The verb fare (faccio, fai, fa)

The verb andare (vado, vai, va)

The verb stare (sto, stai, sta)

The verb venire (vengo, vieni, viene)

The verb uscire (esco, esci, esce)

Location and destination (a, in)

Origin and movement (da)

Articulated prepositions with a (al, alla)

Articulated prepositions with in (nel, nella)

Articulated prepositions with di and da (del, dal)

Simple prepositions (con, per, su, tra)

Articulated prepositions with su (sul, sulla)

Months of the year

Telling time (sono le...)

Dates (il + number)

Ordinal numbers 1st to 10th (primo, secondo, terzo...)

The verb to want (volere)

The verb can (potere)

The verb must (dovere)

The verb to know (sapere)

Reflexive verbs (mi lavo, ti lavi)

Indirect object pronouns (gli, le, ci...)

Expressing preferences (mi piace)

Plural preferences (mi piacciono)

Comparatives (più... di, meno... di)

The passato prossimo with avere (ho parlato)

Irregular past participles (fatto, letto, preso)

The passato prossimo with essere (sono andato)

Reflexive verbs in the past (mi sono svegliato)

Time adverbs with the past tense (già, mai, ancora)

Third-person direct object pronouns (lo, la, li, le)

First and second-person direct object pronouns (mi, ti, ci, vi)

The four seasons

Prepositions of place (vicino a, davanti a)

Conversational words (beh, allora, davvero)

Indefinite adjectives for some (qualche, alcuni)

Indefinite adjectives for every and all (ogni, tutti)

Indefinite pronouns (qualcosa, qualcuno)

Noun suffixes (-ino, -one)

Adverbs of manner (-mente)

Comparisons of equality (così... come)

The relative superlative (il più)

The absolute superlative (-issimo)

Irregular comparatives (migliore, peggiore)

Present progressive (stare + -ando, -endo)

Imminent actions (stare per)

The locative pronoun (ci)

The partitive pronoun (ne)

Pronoun placement with modal verbs

Impersonal subjects (si)

Prepositions of time (da, per, tra, fra)

Past participle agreement with pronouns

Question	Answer
the DIY / the home crafting	il bricolage
namely / or rather	ovvero
DIY, namely practical work, is very useful.	Il bricolage, ovvero il lavoro pratico, è molto utile.
in other words	in altre parole
I like DIY; in other words, I love creating things.	Mi piace il bricolage; in altre parole, amo creare le cose.
the plywood	il compensato
that is to say	vale a dire
Do you know how to cut the plywood, that is to say this light wood?	Sai tagliare il compensato, vale a dire questo legno leggero?
One must buy the plywood, namely the material for the project.	Bisogna comprare il compensato, ovvero il materiale per il progetto.
the fretsaw / the small saw	il seghetto
You need the fretsaw, in other words something to use now.	Ti serve il seghetto, in altre parole qualcosa da usare adesso.
He uses the fretsaw, that is to say the smallest tool.	Lui usa il seghetto, vale a dire lo strumento più piccolo.
the hole (bored through something)	il foro
There is no hole, namely there is nothing to repair.	Non c'è un foro, ovvero non c'è niente da riparare.
She makes a hole, in other words she pierces the wood.	Lei fa un foro, in altre parole buca il legno.
to sand / to smooth (generally)	levigare
One must sand the box, that is to say clean the wood.	Bisogna levigare la scatola, vale a dire pulire il legno.
He has to sand, namely prepare this part.	Lui deve levigare, ovvero preparare questa parte.
the adhesive (m)	l'adesivo
We use the adhesive, in other words a very strong glue.	Noi usiamo l'adesivo, in altre parole una colla molto forte.
Does anyone have the adhesive, that is to say the special glue?	Qualcuno ha l'adesivo, vale a dire la colla speciale?
to slot together / to interlock	incastrare
One must slot the piece in, namely fix it well.	Bisogna incastrare il pezzo, ovvero fissarlo bene.
Do you know how to slot these parts together, in other words close the box?	Sai incastrare queste parti, in altre parole chiudere la scatola?

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