Learn Italian: Due anni fa, lei ha finanziato l'iniziativa e ha donato tanto; oggi lui ha fatto altrettanto. - Two years ago, she financed the initiative and donated a lot; today he did likewise.

Due anni fa, lei ha finanziato l'iniziativa e ha donato tanto; oggi lui ha fatto altrettanto.

Two years ago, she financed the initiative and donated a lot; today he did likewise.

Breakdown of Due anni fa, lei ha finanziato l'iniziativa e ha donato tanto; oggi lui ha fatto altrettanto.

Questions & Answers about Due anni fa, lei ha finanziato l'iniziativa e ha donato tanto; oggi lui ha fatto altrettanto.

Why does altrettanto end in -o here? Shouldn't it change its ending?

In this sentence, altrettanto is acting as an adverb meaning "likewise" or "the same thing", modifying the verb phrase ha fatto (he did). Because it is an adverb here, it is invariable and always ends in -o. If it were acting as an adjective describing a noun, like in altrettante persone (as many people), it would change to match that noun's gender and number.

How does altrettanto relate to tanto in this sentence?

They are closely related! Tanto here is an adverb meaning "a lot" or "much". Altrettanto combines the idea of altro (other) and tanto (as much). By saying lui ha fatto altrettanto, we are literally saying he did "as much as the other" or "likewise".

Why use the passato prossimo (like ha finanziato and ha fatto) instead of the imperfetto?

We use the passato prossimo because these are viewed as completed, specific events that happened within stated timeframes (due anni fa for her actions, and oggi for his action). If we were describing an ongoing habit in the past, we would use the imperfetto.

I know fa means "makes" or "does". Why does due anni fa mean "two years ago"?