Breakdown of Per camuffare il segreto, ha fatto il prestanome per anni prima di andarsene.
l'anno
the year (m)
avere
to have
per
for / in order to / because of
il segreto
the secret
fare
to do / to make
prima di
before (doing something) / before (a noun / point in time)
andarsene
to leave / to go away (from a place)
camuffare
to disguise / to camouflage
il prestanome
the frontman / the straw man
Questions & Answers about Per camuffare il segreto, ha fatto il prestanome per anni prima di andarsene.
Why does this sentence use ha fatto il prestanome with an article instead of ha lavorato come prestanome?
Both expressions convey the same meaning, but they follow different rules for expressing roles or professions. When using the verb fare, you must include the definite article (ha fatto il prestanome). If the speaker had chosen the phrase lavorare come, the article would be dropped (ha lavorato come prestanome).
How is the noun prestanome formed?
It is a compound word combining presta (lends, from the verb prestare) and nome (name). A 'name-lender' is someone who acts as a frontman or figurehead to hide someone else's involvement. It is an invariable noun, meaning it can take a masculine (il prestanome) or feminine (la prestanome) article depending on the person, and the ending does not change in the plural (i prestanome).
What exactly is the verb andarsene at the end of the sentence?
Andarsene means 'to go away' or 'to leave'. It is a pronominal verb formed from andare (to go) plus the reflexive pronoun si and the particle ne (meaning 'from here'). When attaching these pronouns to the end of the infinitive, the si changes to se before ne, creating the single word andarsene.
Why do we use prima di andarsene with an infinitive rather than the subjunctive prima che se ne andasse?
Because the subject of both actions is the exact same person ('he' acted as a frontman, and 'he' left). When the subjects match, Italian strongly prefers the simpler construction of prima di plus the infinitive. You would use prima che plus the subjunctive if the subjects were different (for example, if he acted as a frontman before someone else left).
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