Learn Italian: Per trovare la metà, deve calcolare la frazione esatta. - To find the half, he must calculate the exact fraction.

Per trovare la metà, deve calcolare la frazione esatta.

To find the half, he must calculate the exact fraction.

Breakdown of Per trovare la metà, deve calcolare la frazione esatta.

trovare

to find

per

for / in order to / because of

Questions & Answers about Per trovare la metà, deve calcolare la frazione esatta.

Why use la metà instead of mezzo for 'the half'?

Metà is a noun meaning 'the half' or 'one half of something.' Mezzo is usually an adjective used before a noun, like mezzo chilo (half a kilo). Because 'the half' stands alone here as a specific thing being found, you must use the noun la metà.

Why do we need per before trovare? Doesn't trovare already mean 'to find'?

Yes, trovare means 'to find,' but when an infinitive verb is used to express a purpose or goal ('in order to find'), Italian requires the preposition per.

Could deve mean someone other than 'he'?

Yes. Deve is the third-person singular form of the modal verb dovere (must). Depending on the broader context, it could also mean 'she must' or the formal 'you must' (Lei deve).

Why is frazione a feminine noun if it ends in -e instead of -a?

Almost all Italian nouns that end in the suffix -zione are feminine. That is why it pairs with the feminine article la and the feminine adjective esatta.