Breakdown of Tu contribuisci all'iniziativa, e io dono altrettanto.
io
I
tu
you (singular)
e
and
a
to / at
donare
to donate
contribuire
to contribute
altrettanto
as much, as many, likewise
l'iniziativa
initiative
Questions & Answers about Tu contribuisci all'iniziativa, e io dono altrettanto.
Why doesn't altrettanto change its ending in this sentence?
Why are the subject pronouns Tu and io used here? Couldn't we just say contribuisci... e dono?
You could leave them out, but including Tu (you) and io (I) creates a strong, deliberate contrast. The speaker is emphasizing the two distinct sides of the partnership: "You do this part, and I do that part."
Why does the verb contribuire become contribuisci in the "you" form instead of just "contribui"?
Contribuire belongs to the group of -ire verbs that insert -isc- into their stem in the present tense (for all singular forms and the "they" form). It conjugates exactly like capire or finire, becoming io contribuisco, tu contribuisci, lui/lei contribuisce, etc.
Why is it written as all'iniziativa with an apostrophe?
The preposition a (to) merges with the definite article la (the) to form the combined word alla. Because the noun iniziativa starts with a vowel, alla drops its final -a and takes an apostrophe to make pronunciation smoother, resulting in all'iniziativa.
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