Breakdown of Preferisci abitare a Firenze o a Parigi?
o
or
abitare
to live
preferire
to prefer
a
to / at
Firenze
Florence
Parigi
Paris
Questions & Answers about Preferisci abitare a Firenze o a Parigi?
Why do we use a Firenze instead of in Firenze?
In Italian, the preposition a is used before the names of cities and towns to mean either "in" or "to". So, "in Florence" is a Firenze. The preposition in is generally saved for countries, states, and large regions, like in Italia.
Why is abitare left in its full dictionary form here?
When you have two verbs back-to-back like "prefer to live", only the first verb is conjugated to match the subject. Here, preferisci is conjugated for "you", leaving the second verb abitare (to live) in its infinitive form.
Why does the verb preferire become preferisci? What is that -isc- part?
Preferire belongs to a common group of -ire verbs that add -isc- before the ending in most of their present tense forms. This makes pronunciation easier. For "you", it becomes preferisci instead of just "preferi".
Could I say vivere instead of abitare in this sentence?
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