Breakdown of Lo tranquillizziamo spesso, ma d'altronde non vogliamo viziarlo.
ma
but
non
not
spesso
often
volere
to want
Questions & Answers about Lo tranquillizziamo spesso, ma d'altronde non vogliamo viziarlo.
What exactly does d'altronde add to this sentence, and could I use del resto instead?
D'altronde introduces a justification or a contrasting but complementary point. Here, it translates nicely to "after all" or "on the other hand," showing that not spoiling him justifies why they don't reassure him unconditionally. Yes, you could absolutely use del resto here—it is a direct synonym and would carry the exact same meaning.
Is it redundant to use both ma and d'altronde together?
Why is the pronoun lo placed before the verb in lo tranquillizziamo, but attached to the end of viziarlo?
This is a great reminder of pronoun placement rules. With regular conjugated verbs like tranquillizziamo, the object pronoun goes immediately before the verb. However, viziarlo uses the infinitive viziare (to spoil). When attaching a pronoun to an infinitive, you drop the final -e and stick the pronoun directly onto the end.
What other meanings does the verb viziare have?