Breakdown of Non coinvolgermi, sono estraneo a questo scherzo.
essere
to be
questo
this (masculine)
non
not
a
to / at
mi
me (direct object)
lo scherzo
the prank / the joke
estraneo
uninvolved / unrelated
coinvolgere
to involve
Questions & Answers about Non coinvolgermi, sono estraneo a questo scherzo.
Since this lesson is about the verb entrarci, could I use non c'entro instead of sono estraneo here?
Why is it non coinvolgermi instead of non mi coinvolgi?
This is a negative command for the informal 'tu' form. In Italian, to tell someone not to do something, you use non plus the full infinitive of the verb (non coinvolgere). When attaching the direct object pronoun mi (me), you drop the final -e of the infinitive and stick the pronoun directly to the end, resulting in non coinvolgermi.
Is estraneo a false friend for 'strange'?
Why do we use the preposition a in estraneo a questo scherzo?
The adjective estraneo specifically requires the preposition a to connect to the thing you are unrelated to, similar to how in English you might be a stranger 'to' a situation. Keep in mind that if you decided to use the verb entrarci instead, the preposition changes to con: non c'entro con questo scherzo.
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