Learn Italian: È meglio uscire che riposare. - It is better to go out than to rest.

È meglio uscire che riposare.

It is better to go out than to rest.

Breakdown of È meglio uscire che riposare.

Questions & Answers about È meglio uscire che riposare.

Why do we use che here instead of di for "than"?

When you compare two verbs, you always use che. Here, you are comparing the action of uscire (to go out) with riposare (to rest), so di would be incorrect.

Why is it meglio instead of migliore?

Meglio means "better" as an adverb, while migliore means "better" as an adjective. For impersonal phrases like è meglio (it is better), Italian always uses the adverb form.

Could I say è più bene instead of è meglio?

No, meglio is the irregular comparative form of bene (well). Just like in English you say "better" instead of "more well," in Italian you must use meglio instead of più bene.

Why does the English translation use "to go out" and "to rest", but it could also mean "going out" and "resting"?

In Italian, the infinitive form of a verb (like uscire or riposare) is used as a noun to talk about an action in general. Even if you translate it to English as "going out is better than resting," Italian still requires the infinitive.