Breakdown of In sintesi, quell'inventore ha dato un contributo fondamentale alla scienza.
un
a / an (masculine)
quello
that
a
to / at
dare
to give
fondamentale
fundamental / essential
la scienza
the science
l'inventore
the inventor (m)
in sintesi
in summary / in short
il contributo
the contribution
Questions & Answers about In sintesi, quell'inventore ha dato un contributo fondamentale alla scienza.
How does in sintesi compare to the other connectors from this lesson, like insomma?
In sintesi is slightly more formal and objective. It literally translates to "in synthesis" and is perfect for summarizing facts, arguments, or presentations. Insomma, on the other hand, is much more conversational (like "in short" or "all in all"), while in fin dei conti implies "at the end of the day" and often carries a tone of final judgment or resignation.
In English we usually say someone "made a contribution". Why does the Italian use ha dato (gave)?
Why does quello become quell' here?
As a quick refresher, the demonstrative adjective quello changes its ending based on the exact same rules as the definite article (il, lo, la, l', etc.). Since inventore is a masculine noun starting with a vowel, it takes the article l' (l'inventore). Therefore, quello drops its final letter and adds an apostrophe to become quell'.
Can in sintesi be placed elsewhere in the sentence?
Yes, you could place it after the verb (quell'inventore ha dato, in sintesi, un contributo...) or even at the very end. However, putting it at the beginning is by far the most common and effective way to use it, as it immediately signals to the listener that you are about to summarize your previous points.
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