Learn Italian: Lui usa il seghetto, vale a dire lo strumento più piccolo. - He uses the fretsaw, that is to say the smallest tool.

Lui usa il seghetto, vale a dire lo strumento più piccolo.

He uses the fretsaw, that is to say the smallest tool.

Breakdown of Lui usa il seghetto, vale a dire lo strumento più piccolo.

more / anymore (with 'non')

Questions & Answers about Lui usa il seghetto, vale a dire lo strumento più piccolo.

What exactly does vale a dire mean here, and does it ever change its form?

Vale a dire is a fixed explanatory phrase that literally means "it is worth saying." We use it just like the English "that is to say" or "namely" to clarify a previous term. Because it is a set phrase, it never changes form, meaning you do not conjugate vale to match the subject of the sentence.

Could I use ovvero or in altre parole instead of vale a dire in this sentence?

Yes, absolutely! Ovvero, cioè, and in altre parole can all be used here interchangeably to clarify what a fretsaw is. Vale a dire is just slightly more formal and precise, making it perfect for explaining a specific or technical term like il seghetto.

I noticed seghetto ends in -etto. Is it a diminutive form?

Exactly. The base word is la sega (the saw). By adding the diminutive suffix -etto, it becomes il seghetto (the little saw, or fretsaw). Notice that the noun changes from feminine to masculine here, and an h is added to maintain the hard "g" sound of the original word.

For "the smallest tool", why is the word order lo strumento più piccolo rather than il più piccolo strumento?