Learn Italian: L'assistente ha riordinato i fogli sulla scrivania. - The assistant tidied up the papers on the desk.

L'assistente ha riordinato i fogli sulla scrivania.

The assistant tidied up the papers on the desk.

Breakdown of L'assistente ha riordinato i fogli sulla scrivania.

Questions & Answers about L'assistente ha riordinato i fogli sulla scrivania.

How does the prefix ri- change the verb ordinare here?

The base verb ordinare means to arrange or to put in order. Adding the iterative prefix ri- indicates doing the action again. Therefore, riordinare literally means to put in order again, which is the standard Italian way to say to tidy up.

Can the prefix ri- be added to any verb to mean doing it again?

You can add ri- to many verbs, similar to the English prefix re-. However, you must be careful because sometimes it creates a word with an unexpected meaning. For example, prendere is to take, but riprendere often means to scold or to film.

Why use i fogli instead of la carta for the papers?

Carta refers to paper as an uncountable material. When you are talking about individual, countable sheets of paper on a desk, you must use the noun il foglio (plural i fogli).

How can we tell if l'assistente is masculine or feminine in this sentence?

We actually cannot tell without more context. Profession nouns ending in -ente are often the same for both genders. Because the definite article shortens to l' before a vowel for both masculine and feminine words, the person's gender is completely hidden in this sentence.