Learn Italian: Preferisco comprare lo skipass che noleggiare quello del fine settimana. - I prefer to buy the ski pass than to rent the weekend one.

Preferisco comprare lo skipass che noleggiare quello del fine settimana.

I prefer to buy the ski pass than to rent the weekend one.

Breakdown of Preferisco comprare lo skipass che noleggiare quello del fine settimana.

Questions & Answers about Preferisco comprare lo skipass che noleggiare quello del fine settimana.

Why do we use quello del instead of just repeating the noun?

To avoid repeating a noun, Italian uses a demonstrative pronoun (quello, quella, quelli, or quelle) followed by di (or its combined forms). Here, quello del fine settimana literally means 'that of the weekend' and perfectly replaces lo skipass del fine settimana.

Why does the sentence use che for 'than' instead of di?

When you compare two verbs (like the infinitives comprare and noleggiare), Italian uses che for 'than'. You generally use di when comparing quantities or when comparing nouns and pronouns.

Why is the article lo used in lo skipass instead of il?

Even though it is an English loanword, Italian grammar rules still apply. Masculine nouns starting with an 's' followed by another consonant (here, an 's' followed by a 'k' sound) always take the article lo.

Is fine settimana masculine or feminine, and how does that affect the word del?