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Il mago prova a spiegare questo trucco.

Il mago prova a spiegare questo trucco.
The magician tries to explain this trick.
From Lesson 148:Linking verbs with 'a' (a + infinitive)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Il mago prova a spiegare questo trucco.

Why do we need the word a between prova and spiegare?
In Italian, when certain verbs are followed by an infinitive (a verb in its dictionary form, like spiegare), they require a specific preposition to link them together. The verb provare (to try) always takes the preposition a before the next verb. So, "to try to explain" becomes provare a spiegare.
Can I use cercare instead of provare to mean "to try"?
Yes, you can! However, the linking preposition changes. While provare is followed by a, the verb cercare is followed by di. So, if you swap the verb, the sentence would become Il mago cerca di spiegare questo trucco. Both mean exactly the same thing here.
I learned that trucco means makeup. Why is it used here?
The word trucco is a great double-meaning word to know! It translates to both "makeup" (cosmetics) and "trick" (like a magic trick, an illusion, or a clever shortcut). Since the subject is a mago (magician), it makes perfect sense to translate it as "trick" in this sentence.
Why doesn't questo use an apostrophe here, like quest'?
The word questo (this) only drops its final -o and takes an apostrophe when the noun following it starts with a vowel, as in quest'anno (this year). Since trucco starts with a consonant, questo keeps its full form.

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