Learn Italian: Questo investimento inopportuno non aumenta per niente il margine. - This inappropriate investment does not increase the margin at all.

Questo investimento inopportuno non aumenta per niente il margine.

This inappropriate investment does not increase the margin at all.

Breakdown of Questo investimento inopportuno non aumenta per niente il margine.

for / in order to / because of

niente

nothing

Questions & Answers about Questo investimento inopportuno non aumenta per niente il margine.

Why is per niente placed right after the verb aumenta rather than at the end of the sentence?

To strongly emphasize 'not at all', per niente must be placed immediately after the verb it modifies. If you put it at the very end (non aumenta il margine per niente), it sounds unnatural and loses its emphatic punch.

Could I use affatto instead of per niente in this sentence?

Yes, absolutely. You could say non aumenta affatto il margine. Both per niente and affatto act as emphatic negative reinforcements and follow the exact same rule: they must sit directly after the verb.

Is inopportuno a false friend for the English word 'inopportune'?

It is a partial false friend. While it can mean 'ill-timed', in Italian it is used much more broadly to mean 'inappropriate', 'out of place', or 'unwise'. In the context of business investments, 'inappropriate' or 'ill-advised' is the most natural translation.

The verb aumentare takes a direct object here (il margine). Doesn't it normally use essere in compound tenses?