Breakdown of Questo orologio usato ha molti pezzi da riparare.
questo
this (masculine)
l'orologio
the watch
avere
to have
molto
a lot of / much
Questions & Answers about Questo orologio usato ha molti pezzi da riparare.
Why do we use da before riparare instead of per or a?
When you want to express that a noun needs something done to it or has a specific purpose, you use da followed by the infinitive verb. Here, molti pezzi da riparare describes the pieces as needing repair. You can't use per or a because this specific da + infinitive structure acts almost like a descriptive adjective attached directly to the noun before it.
Can I think of da riparare as meaning "to be repaired" instead of just "to repair"?
Yes, exactly! In English, we often say "pieces to repair," but the Italian structure da + infinitive carries a passive meaning: "pieces that need to be repaired." You will see this very often in phrases like cose da fare (things to do / things to be done) or niente da dire (nothing to say / to be said).
Why is usato placed after orologio?
Usato is the past participle of the verb usare (to use), but here it acts as a normal descriptive adjective meaning "used" or "second-hand." In Italian, most descriptive adjectives go directly after the noun they modify. Since orologio is masculine and singular, usato takes the masculine singular -o ending to match.
Does orologio specifically mean "watch" or can it mean "clock"?