Breakdown of Oggi non scaldo la sostanza; invece misuro la temperatura.
non
not
oggi
today
la sostanza
the substance
scaldare
to heat
la temperatura
the temperature
misurare
to measure
invece
instead, on the other hand
Questions & Answers about Oggi non scaldo la sostanza; invece misuro la temperatura.
Can I put invece at the end of the sentence, like we often do in English ('I measure the temperature instead')?
Why is it just invece here and not invece di?
You use invece by itself to mean 'instead' when it introduces a new clause with its own conjugated verb (like misuro). You use invece di ('instead of') when it is followed directly by a noun or an infinitive verb, like invece di scaldare la sostanza (instead of heating the substance).
How does invece compare to consequence words like quindi or perciò?
While they are all conjunctions that link two related ideas, they do opposite jobs. Quindi and perciò show a result or consequence ('therefore' or 'so'). Invece shows a direct contrast ('instead' or 'on the other hand'). If you used quindi here, the sentence would mean 'I am not heating the substance; therefore I am measuring the temperature', which changes the logic entirely.
Where is the word for 'I' (io) in this sentence?
It is left out! As a quick reminder, Italian usually drops the subject pronouns. The verbs scaldo (from scaldare) and misuro (from misurare) both end in -o, which already makes it perfectly clear that the subject is 'I'.
Learn Oggi non scaldo la sostanza; invece misuro la temperatura 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