Breakdown of La tappezzeria richiede tanto tempo, ma la finisco di restaurare presto.
ma
but
tanto
so much, a lot / as (in comparisons)
il tempo
the time, the weather
presto
early / soon / quickly, hurry
finire
to finish
la
her/it (direct object)
di
to (linking a verb to a following infinitive)
restaurare
to restore
richiedere
to require
la tappezzeria
the upholstery
Questions & Answers about La tappezzeria richiede tanto tempo, ma la finisco di restaurare presto.
Why is la placed before finisco instead of attached to the end of restaurare?
This sentence demonstrates clitic climbing with an aspectual verb (finire di, meaning 'to finish doing'). With these verbs, you have a choice: you can attach the pronoun to the infinitive (finisco di restaurarla) or move it before the conjugated verb (la finisco di restaurare). Both are completely correct and mean the same thing.
If I chose to attach la to the end of the infinitive, what happens to the preposition di?
The preposition di stays exactly where it is. The verb finire requires di before an infinitive. So the alternative phrasing is simply finisco di restaurarla.
Why does the Italian say richiede tanto tempo instead of using a literal translation of 'takes' like prende?
Since the action happens 'soon' (presto), why does the sentence use the present tense finisco instead of the future tense?
In Italian, the present indicative is very commonly used to express future actions that are planned or happening in the near future, especially when there is a clear time marker like presto. You could say la finirò, but the present tense feels natural and immediate here.
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