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Il cioccolato morbido è pronto da spalmare.

Il cioccolato morbido è pronto da spalmare.
The soft chocolate is ready to spread.
From Lesson 269:Adjectives with infinitives (bello da vedere)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Il cioccolato morbido è pronto da spalmare.

Why do we use da before spalmare?
After certain adjectives like pronto (ready), Italian uses da + infinitive to show what action is meant for the subject. It connects the state of being ready directly to the action of spreading.
Does da spalmare have a passive meaning here?
Yes. The chocolate isn't doing the spreading; it is receiving the action. In Italian, da + infinitive often has this passive sense, meaning 'to be spread'. You see the exact same pattern in everyday phrases like cose da fare (things to do / to be done).
Could I use per instead of da, like pronto per spalmare?
It is much more natural and grammatically correct to use da here. You generally use pronto per before nouns, as in pronto per la colazione (ready for breakfast). When linking the adjective to a verb that describes what happens to the subject, da is the preposition you need.
What would happen to da spalmare if the subject were plural, like 'the soft creams'?
The phrase da spalmare wouldn't change at all, because verbs in the infinitive (the dictionary form) don't change for gender or number. Only the nouns and adjectives would change to match: Le creme morbide sono pronte da spalmare.

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