Learn Italian: Prendo questa medicina perché cura velocemente il raffreddore. - I take this medicine because it treats the cold quickly.

Prendo questa medicina perché cura velocemente il raffreddore.

I take this medicine because it treats the cold quickly.

Breakdown of Prendo questa medicina perché cura velocemente il raffreddore.

Questions & Answers about Prendo questa medicina perché cura velocemente il raffreddore.

Why do we use perché here instead of siccome?

In Italian, perché is used in the middle of a sentence to introduce the reason for an action. If you want to state the reason first, at the very beginning of the sentence, you must use siccome instead: Siccome cura velocemente il raffreddore, prendo questa medicina.

Wait, doesn't cura mean "cures"?

It's a partial "false friend"! While it can sometimes translate to "cure", curare more commonly means "to treat", "to care for", or "to look after". If you want to emphasize that something completely "heals" or "cures" a disease, Italians usually use the verb guarire.

Why is velocemente placed right after the verb?

In Italian, adverbs (words that describe how an action is done, often ending in -mente) usually sit immediately after the verb they modify. While in English you might put "quickly" at the very end of the phrase ("treats the cold quickly"), Italian keeps velocemente hugged close to cura.

Why do we need the article il before raffreddore?

In Italian, you almost always use definite articles (il, la, etc.) with illnesses and physical ailments. So, while in English we might just say "treats colds" or "treats a cold", Italian specifies il raffreddore (literally "the cold").