Breakdown of Il fratellino fa i capricci; lo sto calmando.
fare
to do / to make
stare
to stay, to feel, to be
lo
him/it (direct object)
il fratellino
the little brother
il capriccio
the tantrum
calmare
to calm down
Questions & Answers about Il fratellino fa i capricci; lo sto calmando.
Why is lo placed before sto rather than attached to the gerund calmando?
Why use the verb fare in fa i capricci to mean "is throwing tantrums"?
How does the suffix in fratellino change the meaning of fratello?
The suffix -ino is a diminutive. When added to fratello (brother), it turns the word into "little brother." It is a very common way in Italian to indicate small size or affection without having to use a separate adjective like piccolo.
Why is the first verb just fa (simple present) when the English translation says "is throwing"?
In Italian, the simple present tense is much more flexible than in English and can translate to both "throws" and "is throwing." While the second part of the sentence uses the progressive form (sto calmando) to strongly emphasize the ongoing action, the simple present fa is perfectly natural to describe what the little brother is doing right now.
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