Breakdown of L'uomo parsimonioso decide di stringere la cinghia piuttosto che comprare qualcosa di superfluo.
l'uomo
the man (m)
comprare
to buy
qualcosa
something
decidere
to decide
di
(linking an indefinite pronoun to an adjective)
stringere
to take in, to tighten
piuttosto che
rather than (preference)
parsimonioso
frugal / thrifty
la cinghia
the belt (strap)
superfluo
superfluous / unnecessary
Questions & Answers about L'uomo parsimonioso decide di stringere la cinghia piuttosto che comprare qualcosa di superfluo.
How does piuttosto che work here, and why is it followed by the infinitive comprare?
Piuttosto che introduces an alternative, meaning "rather than" or "instead of". Because the subject of both actions (tightening the belt and buying) is the same person, Italian uses an implicit clause. This means we simply follow piuttosto che with the infinitive comprare rather than conjugating the verb.
Why is there a di in qualcosa di superfluo?
In Italian, when an indefinite pronoun like qualcosa (something) or niente (nothing) is modified by an adjective, you must link them with the preposition di. That is why "something superfluous" translates to qualcosa di superfluo.
Does stringere la cinghia carry the same metaphorical meaning in Italian as it does in English?
Why do we need di in decide di stringere?
The verb decidere always requires the preposition di when it is followed by an infinitive verb. Unlike English, where "to" is just part of the infinitive, Italian requires you to memorize which preposition (di, a, or none) links specific main verbs to the action that follows.
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