Breakdown of Non riesci a nascondere la bacchetta nella tasca.
non
not
a
to / at
la tasca
the pocket
nascondere
to hide
nella
in the (in + la)
riuscire
to manage / to succeed
la bacchetta
the wand
Questions & Answers about Non riesci a nascondere la bacchetta nella tasca.
Why is there an a between riesci and nascondere?
The verb riuscire (to manage or to succeed) requires the preposition a when it is followed by an infinitive verb like nascondere. In Italian, certain verbs always need a linking preposition before another action, and this is one of the most common ones you will see.
What is the infinitive of riesci, and how does it conjugate?
The infinitive is riuscire. It is an irregular verb that changes its stem (the main part of the word) in the present tense. It becomes riesc- for the singular forms and the "they" form (io riesco, tu riesci, lui/lei riesce, loro riescono), but keeps riusc- for "we" and "you all" (noi riusciamo, voi riuscite).
Could I just use non puoi instead of non riesci a to mean "you cannot"?
Why is it nella tasca and not in la tasca?
This is a combined preposition. Whenever the preposition in is placed directly before a definite article like la (the), they must merge together. in + la becomes nella. You cannot write them as two separate words in Italian.
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