ELONIO
Log inSign up

Se vuole controllare l'interno, apra pure anche il bagagliaio.

Se vuole controllare l'interno, apra pure anche il bagagliaio.
If you want to check the interior, go ahead and open the trunk too.
From Lesson 280:Polite permission with imperatives (pure)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Se vuole controllare l'interno, apra pure anche il bagagliaio.

How does pure change the meaning of apra here?
On its own, apra is the formal command for "open". Adding pure softens it into a polite offer or permission, meaning "go ahead and open" or "feel free to open". This is very common in formal situations to make instructions sound polite and welcoming.
Why does the verb aprire become apra here instead of apri?
This sentence is addressed to the formal "you" (Lei), which we can also tell from vuole (instead of the informal vuoi). For formal commands (the formal imperative), regular "-ire" verbs like aprire take an "-a" ending. If this were an informal conversation with a friend, it would be Se vuoi... apri pure....
Doesn't controllare mean "to control"?
Controllare is a classic false friend. While it can sometimes mean "to control", it is much more frequently used in everyday Italian to mean "to check", "to verify", or "to inspect". Here, the speaker is saying "check the interior", not "control" it.
Why are pure and anche right next to each other?
It might look like a lot of extra words, but they each do a specific job here. Pure softens the command (apra pure = go ahead and open), and anche adds "also" or "too" (anche il bagagliaio = the trunk too). You will often see them clustered like this in natural, polite speech.

Learn Se vuole controllare l'interno, apra pure anche il bagagliaio and more in Italian

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Italian →