Breakdown of Il restauro è molto difficile, ma lo continuo a pianificare.
essere
to be
molto
very
ma
but
difficile
difficult
lo
him/it (direct object)
continuare
to continue
pianificare
to plan
a
(linking a verb to a following infinitive)
il restauro
the restoration
Questions & Answers about Il restauro è molto difficile, ma lo continuo a pianificare.
Why does lo come before continuo instead of being attached to the end of pianificare?
This is a feature called clitic climbing. With aspectual verbs—verbs that describe the progression of an action, like continuare a (to continue to), iniziare a (to start to), or finire di (to finish)—you have a choice. You can either attach the object pronoun to the end of the infinitive, or you can "climb" it to the front of the conjugated verb. Here, lo (it, referring to the restoration) has climbed before continuo.
Is it also correct to say continuo a pianificarlo?
Why is there an a between continuo and pianificare?
The verb continuare requires the preposition a when it is followed by an infinitive verb. Because aspectual verbs take different prepositions—for example, finire requires di (to finish doing something)—it is best to memorize the verb and its preposition as a single chunk: continuare a.
Could I use progettare instead of pianificare here to mean "plan"?
You could, but there is a slight difference in nuance. Pianificare focuses heavily on scheduling, logistics, and organizing a timeline (creating a plan of action for the restoration). Progettare leans more toward the design, engineering, or conceptual phase (drawing up the blueprints or the artistic vision for the restoration).
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