Breakdown of Il chitarrista mi ha chiesto come accordare lo strumento.
avere
to have
chiedere
to ask
come
how
mi
to me
lo strumento
the instrument
il chitarrista
the guitarist
accordare
to tune
Questions & Answers about Il chitarrista mi ha chiesto come accordare lo strumento.
Why do we use the infinitive accordare here instead of a conjugated verb?
This is an implicit indirect question. In Italian, when reporting a question about how to do something, you can use a question word like come followed by the infinitive. This perfectly matches the English structure "how to tune". It is typically used when the subject of the infinitive is the same as the main clause's object (the person being asked) or when expressing a general instruction.
Il chitarrista ends in -a. How does this word behave in the plural?
Why is the auxiliary verb avere used in mi ha chiesto? Doesn't the pronoun mi trigger the auxiliary essere?
The pronoun mi only triggers essere when it is a reflexive or reciprocal pronoun (as in mi sono svegliato). In this sentence, mi is simply an indirect object pronoun meaning "to me". The verb chiedere (to ask) takes the auxiliary avere, making it mi ha chiesto.
Could I use the verb domandare instead of chiedere here?
Yes, you could say mi ha domandato come accordare. Chiedere and domandare are mostly interchangeable when reporting a question. However, keep in mind that chiedere is more versatile because it is also used for asking for things or favors (like asking for a glass of water), whereas domandare is strictly for asking questions.
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