Breakdown of Dammi l'olio, che devo condire l'insalata.
dovere
must
mi
to me
dare
to give
l'olio
the oil (m)
l'insalata
the salad (f)
che
because (informal justification)
condire
to dress
Questions & Answers about Dammi l'olio, che devo condire l'insalata.
Why is che translated as "because" in this sentence instead of perché?
Why does Dammi have a double m?
The informal imperative of dare (to give) is dai or its shortened form da'. When attaching a pronoun to a short, one-syllable imperative verb like da', the first consonant of the pronoun doubles. So da' plus mi becomes dammi. You'll see this with other short imperatives too, like fa' (fammi) and di' (dimmi).
Does condire specifically mean "to dress" a salad?
Not exclusively. While it translates to "dress" in this context, condire broadly means to season, dress, or add flavor to any dish. For example, you also use it when tossing pasta with a sauce (condire la pasta) or putting olive oil and salt on vegetables.
Can I use this causal che to mean "because" anywhere I want?
Learn Dammi l'olio, che devo condire l'insalata and more in Italian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free