Breakdown of Sono un appassionato di auto, quindi le continuo a riparare.
essere
to be
un
a / an (masculine)
di
of, from
riparare
to repair
continuare
to continue
quindi
therefore / so
l'auto
the car (= la macchina) (f)
a
(linking a verb to a following infinitive)
l'appassionato
the enthusiast (m)
Questions & Answers about Sono un appassionato di auto, quindi le continuo a riparare.
Why is le placed before continuo instead of attached to the end of riparare?
Both positions are perfectly correct! With aspectual verbs like continuare a (to continue to), iniziare a (to start to), and finire di (to finish), you can either place the object pronoun before the conjugated verb (le continuo a riparare) or attach it to the infinitive (continuo a ripararle). This flexibility is known as clitic climbing.
What does the pronoun le refer to here, and why is it feminine plural?
It refers to auto. The word auto is short for automobile, which is a feminine noun. In Italian, abbreviated nouns are invariable, meaning they do not change their ending in the plural. Since he is talking about cars in general, it is plural (le auto), so we use the feminine plural direct object pronoun le.
Why is there an a between continuo and riparare?
The verb continuare requires the preposition a when it is followed by an infinitive verb to mean 'to continue doing something'. This preposition acts as a bridge and is mandatory, regardless of where you choose to place the object pronoun.
Why do we use the preposition di in appassionato di auto?
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