Learn Italian: Invece di fumare, combatto questo vizio. - Instead of smoking, I combat this bad habit.

Invece di fumare, combatto questo vizio.

Instead of smoking, I combat this bad habit.

Breakdown of Invece di fumare, combatto questo vizio.

Questions & Answers about Invece di fumare, combatto questo vizio.

Why does Italian use the infinitive fumare when the English translation uses the '-ing' word 'smoking'?

In Italian, when a preposition like di is followed by a verb, that verb must be in the infinitive form (fumare). English often uses the gerund ending in '-ing' after prepositions, but you should never use the Italian gerund like fumando after invece di.

Can I use anziché in this sentence instead of invece di?

Yes! Anziché is a direct synonym for invece di. If you use it, you do not need the preposition di. The sentence would simply become: Anziché fumare, combatto questo vizio.

Does vizio always translate to the strong English word 'vice'?

Not always. While vizio can mean a serious moral vice, in everyday Italian it is very commonly used to mean a general bad habit, like biting your nails, being constantly late, or smoking.

If I wanted to say 'I combat it' instead of saying 'this bad habit', where would the pronoun go?

You would use the direct object pronoun lo because vizio is masculine singular. It goes immediately before the conjugated verb, making the phrase: Invece di fumare, lo combatto.