Learn Italian: Non ti presto la macchina. - I am not lending you the car.

Non ti presto la macchina.

I am not lending you the car.

Breakdown of Non ti presto la macchina.

Questions & Answers about Non ti presto la macchina.

Does ti mean 'you' or 'to you' in this sentence?

Here, ti means 'to you.' The verb prestare (to lend) works like giving: you lend something to someone. Because you are the receiver of the action, we use the indirect object pronoun ti.

Why is ti placed before the verb instead of after?

In Italian, short pronouns like ti almost always go immediately before the conjugated verb. When the sentence is negative, the word non comes first, placing the pronoun between the negative word and the verb: non ti presto (literally: not to-you I-lend).

Where is the word for 'I' in this sentence?

It is built right into the verb! The verb prestare (to lend) is conjugated as presto for the io (I) form. Italian usually drops subject pronouns like io because the -o ending already makes it clear who is doing the action.

I know macchina means 'machine.' Is it the normal word for 'car'?

Yes! While macchina literally translates to 'machine,' it is the most common, everyday word Italians use for 'car.' You might occasionally hear automobile, but macchina is what you will use in normal conversation.