Breakdown of Preferisco rinunciare a uno sfizio piuttosto che svuotare il salvadanaio.
uno
a / an (masculine special)
preferire
to prefer
a
to / at
svuotare
to empty
rinunciare
to give up
piuttosto che
rather than (preference)
lo sfizio
the whim / the little treat
il salvadanaio
the piggy bank
Questions & Answers about Preferisco rinunciare a uno sfizio piuttosto che svuotare il salvadanaio.
Why is the verb svuotare in the infinitive here?
We use piuttosto che (rather than) followed by an infinitive to express an implicit alternative clause. This structure is used when the subject of both actions is the same. Here, the speaker is the one giving up the whim and the one who would be emptying the bank. The infinitive clause introduces the action the subject rejects.
Why is there an a before uno sfizio?
The verb rinunciare (to give up, to renounce) is an intransitive verb in Italian that always requires the preposition a before the object you are giving up. You cannot directly rinunciare qualcosa; you must rinunciare a qualcosa.
How is the word sfizio typically used in everyday Italian?
I've heard Italians use piuttosto che to just mean 'or'. Is that happening here?
No, here it strictly means 'rather than', which is its traditional grammatical meaning used to contrast preferences. However, in modern spoken Italian, you will often hear people use piuttosto che incorrectly as a synonym for o (or) when listing equal alternatives. It is important at a B2 level to recognize this common native speaker habit, but you should use it correctly for preferences, as shown in this sentence!
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