Breakdown of Sono tornato in ufficio e ho riavviato la stampante.
essere
to be
e
and
l'ufficio
the office (m)
avere
to have
Questions & Answers about Sono tornato in ufficio e ho riavviato la stampante.
Why does the first verb use essere (sono tornato) while the second uses avere (ho riavviato)?
In Italian, verbs of motion like tornare (to return) take essere in compound tenses. However, riavviare (to restart) is a transitive verb taking a direct object (la stampante), so it requires avere. You must switch auxiliaries mid-sentence to match each verb's specific rule.
Why is it in ufficio without an article, rather than nell'ufficio?
Many common everyday locations take in without a definite article. In ufficio is a fixed phrase, much like in banca or in farmacia. You only add the article if you are specifying exactly which office, such as nell'ufficio del capo (in the boss's office).
How does the prefix change the meaning in riavviato?