Breakdown of La metà della macchina è pronta, ma la finisco di riverniciare stasera.
essere
to be
la macchina
the car
ma
but
pronto
ready
finire
to finish
stasera
tonight / this evening
la
her/it (direct object)
di
to (linking a verb to a following infinitive)
la metà
the half (noun)
riverniciare
to repaint
Questions & Answers about La metà della macchina è pronta, ma la finisco di riverniciare stasera.
Why is la placed before finisco instead of at the end of riverniciare?
This is an example of clitic climbing. With aspectual verbs (verbs that describe the start, continuation, or end of an action, like finire di), you have two options for object pronouns. You can attach the pronoun to the infinitive (finisco di riverniciarla) or pull it to the front of the conjugated verb (la finisco di riverniciare). Both are completely correct and mean the same thing.
Why do we need the word di between finisco and riverniciare?
When finire is followed by an infinitive verb to mean 'to finish doing something', it must always be connected by the preposition di. This is a set pattern you have to memorize, just like how iniziare (to begin) always takes the preposition a.
Why does the sentence start with La metà rather than just Metà?
When talking about a specific half of something, Italian treats metà as a regular noun requiring a definite article. While English just says 'Half of the car', Italian translates more literally to 'The half of the car'.
Could I use the future tense finirò since this action is happening stasera (tonight)?
Yes, you could say la finirò di riverniciare, but using the present tense for planned actions in the near future is extremely natural in Italian. It works just like using the present continuous in English ('I am finishing it tonight' instead of 'I will finish it').
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