Breakdown of Il medico mi prescrive le gocce e mi vieta di bere.
e
and
il medico
the doctor
mi
to me
bere
to drink
di
to (linking a verb to a following infinitive)
vietare
to forbid
prescrivere
to prescribe
la goccia
the drop
Questions & Answers about Il medico mi prescrive le gocce e mi vieta di bere.
How does this sentence show indirect speech if there is no 'che' (that)?
When reporting a command or prohibition in indirect speech, Italian uses di + the infinitive verb. If the doctor spoke directly, he would use the imperative: Non bere! (Don't drink!). Reported indirectly with the verb vietare (to forbid), the negative command becomes di bere.
Why is it di bere when in English we say 'forbids me from drinking'?
The verb vietare (to forbid) requires the preposition di when followed by another verb. While English uses 'from' plus an '-ing' word, Italian uses di + an infinitive verb (bere).
Is the mi in mi vieta a direct or indirect object pronoun?
It is an indirect object pronoun meaning 'to me.' In Italian, you forbid something to someone (vietare qualcosa a qualcuno). So mi vieta di bere acts like 'he forbids drinking to me.'
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