Breakdown of La nostra priorità è risparmiare i soldi piuttosto che spendere per uno sfizio.
essere
to be
uno
a / an (masculine special)
i soldi
the money
nostro
our
per
for / in order to / because of
risparmiare
to save (money/time)
spendere
to spend (money)
piuttosto che
rather than (preference)
lo sfizio
the whim / the little treat
la priorità
the priority
Questions & Answers about La nostra priorità è risparmiare i soldi piuttosto che spendere per uno sfizio.
How does the grammar of piuttosto che spendere work here?
This is an implicit alternative clause. Because the implied subject of both actions (saving and spending) is the same, we don't need to conjugate the second verb. Instead, we use piuttosto che (rather than) followed directly by the infinitive spendere.
Could I use invece di instead of piuttosto che in this sentence?
English just says "save money", so why does Italian use the definite article in risparmiare i soldi?
English usually drops the word "the" when talking about a concept or a mass noun in general. Italian almost always requires the definite article for broad, general categories. So, general "money" becomes i soldi.
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