Question 1

Ogni tanto translates to 'every now and then'. Why use tanto?

Accepted Answer

In this set phrase, you can think of tanto as meaning 'so much time'. So ogni tanto literally means 'every so much', which translates naturally to 'every now and then' or 'sometimes'. Because it is a fixed phrase, you cannot replace ogni with tutti here.

Question 2

Why doesn't ogni end in an '-o' to match tanto?

Accepted Answer

The word ogni (every/each) is invariable, meaning its ending never changes. It is always ogni, regardless of whether the word that follows is masculine or feminine. Also remember that ogni is only ever used with singular words.

Question 3

Why do we need the article la before nonna? I thought family members dropped the article.

Accepted Answer

You only drop the definite article for singular family members when you are using a possessive adjective, like in mia nonna (my grandma). Because there is no possessive word here, you must use the article and say la nonna.

Question 4

Why use prepara instead of a specific word for baking?

Accepted Answer

In Italian, it is extremely common to use preparare (to prepare/make) or fare (to do/make) for cooking and baking. While you could use cuocere al forno for the literal act of baking in an oven, preparare una torta sounds much more natural for the whole process of making a cake.

Ogni tanto la nonna prepara una torta.

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