Learn Italian: Hai un mobile da restaurare? - Do you have a piece of furniture to restore?

When you have a noun (like un mobile) followed immediately by a verb that describes what needs to be done to it, you must use da + infinitive. This structure expresses purpose or necessity, acting a lot like the English passive "to be restored". We use per when expressing "in order to" do something, usually relating back to the subject's intention rather than the object's purpose.

Wait, does un mobile mean a mobile phone?

No, it's a classic false friend! In Italian, un mobile refers to a piece of furniture, like a cabinet or a wardrobe. If you want to talk about a mobile phone, you should say un cellulare or un telefonino.

In English, "furniture" is uncountable (we don't say "a furniture"). Is it countable in Italian?

Yes, it is perfectly countable in Italian. Un mobile means "a piece of furniture". If you want to talk about furniture in general or multiple pieces, you just use the plural: i mobili.

Can I use this da + infinitive trick for other things besides nouns?

Absolutely! Besides nouns, it is incredibly common to use this after indefinite pronouns (like "something", "nothing", "a lot"). For example, you can say qualcosa da bere (something to drink) or tanto da fare (a lot to do).