Questions & Answers about Partiamo presto.
Why does partire end in -iamo here? Don't -are and -ere verbs also use that ending?
That is right! For the "we" form, the ending is always -iamo in the present tense, no matter if the dictionary form of the verb ends in -are, -ere, or -ire. So for partire (to leave), you drop the -ire and add -iamo to get partiamo.
How do we know it means "we" are leaving if the Italian word for "we" isn't in the sentence?
The translation says "we are leaving," but isn't partiamo in the simple present tense?
Yes, it is! Italian does not use a separate tense for things happening right now the way English does with "are leaving." The regular Italian present tense translates to both "we leave" (a habit) and "we are leaving" (happening right now or very soon).
Can presto mean both "early" and "soon"?
Yes, it can! Presto means "early" (like waking up early in the morning) but it also means "soon" (like in the phrase a presto, meaning "see you soon"). In a real conversation, context will tell you if partiamo presto means "we are leaving early" or "we are leaving soon".
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