Breakdown of Insegno al mago a usare la bacchetta.
a
to / at
al
to the / at the
usare
to use
il mago
the magician
Questions & Answers about Insegno al mago a usare la bacchetta.
Why do we need a before usare? Doesn't the infinitive already mean "to use"?
Yes, usare means "to use", but in Italian, certain verbs require a specific preposition to connect them to a following infinitive verb. Insegnare (to teach) is one of those verbs. Whenever you teach someone to do something, you must use insegnare ... a + infinitive.
In English we say "I teach the magician," so why is it al mago (to the magician) instead of just il mago?
In Italian, the person you are teaching is an indirect object, meaning the action is directed to them. You always teach to someone (insegnare a qualcuno). That is why we combine the preposition a (to) with the article il (the) to get al mago.
So this sentence uses the preposition a twice for two different reasons?
Exactly! This sentence perfectly shows the full structure: insegnare a (to teach to) + person + a (to) + infinitive verb. First you teach to the magician (al mago), and second you teach him to use (a usare).
Why is there an "h" in bacchetta?