Breakdown of Il signore al tavolo vuole guardare il menu.
il tavolo
the table
il signore
gentleman, sir, Mr.
guardare
to look at / to watch
a
to / at
volere
to want
il menu
the menu
Questions & Answers about Il signore al tavolo vuole guardare il menu.
Why is guardare not conjugated here?
The verb volere (to want) is a modal verb. When you want to do something, only the modal verb gets conjugated to match the subject (vuole for "he wants"). The second verb stays in its infinitive or "dictionary" form (guardare), similar to English: "he wants to look".
Why isn't there a word for "at" after guardare?
Why is it al tavolo and not just a tavolo?
To say "at the table", you need both the preposition a (at) and the definite article il (the). In Italian, these two words must squeeze together into a single combined word: a + il = al.
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