Learn Italian: Lui deve levigare, ovvero preparare questa parte. - He has to sand, namely prepare this part.

Lui deve levigare, ovvero preparare questa parte.

He has to sand, namely prepare this part.

Breakdown of Lui deve levigare, ovvero preparare questa parte.

Questions & Answers about Lui deve levigare, ovvero preparare questa parte.

Why is ovvero used here instead of o?

In this sentence, ovvero is used as an explanatory marker meaning "in other words" or "namely". It clarifies that preparare questa parte (preparing this part) is exactly what levigare (sanding) means in this context. While ovvero can sometimes mean "or" in very formal or bureaucratic Italian, its most common everyday use is to introduce a clarification, just like here.

Could I use cioè instead of ovvero in this sentence?

Yes, cioè would work perfectly here and is very common in spoken Italian to mean "that is to say". ovvero or vale a dire slightly elevates the register, sounding a bit more precise or instructive, which fits well if this is a technical instruction about sanding.

Why is preparare in the infinitive form here?

It shares the modal verb deve (has to) with the first verb, levigare. Because ovvero links the two actions as essentially the same thing, you don't need to repeat the modal verb. Both levigare and preparare act as infinitives depending on the single deve.

Is levigare a common verb, and in what contexts is it used?

levigare specifically means to make a surface smooth, usually translated as "to sand" or "to polish". You will hear it mostly in contexts like woodworking, construction, or even skincare.