Breakdown of I fondamenti dell'architettura dicono di rinforzare sempre prima le fondamenta.
sempre
always
dire
to say, to tell
prima
before, earlier
di
to (linking a verb to a following infinitive)
il fondamento
the foundation, principle
l'architettura
the architecture (f)
rinforzare
to reinforce
Questions & Answers about I fondamenti dell'architettura dicono di rinforzare sempre prima le fondamenta.
Why does this sentence use both i fondamenti and le fondamenta?
They are both plurals of the singular noun il fondamento, but they carry different meanings. I fondamenti (masculine plural) is used for abstract or figurative concepts, like the principles or basics of a subject. Le fondamenta (feminine plural) is used collectively for the literal, physical foundations of a building or structure.
Why is di used between dicono and rinforzare?
When the verb dire is used to give an instruction, command, or advice (meaning 'to tell someone to do something' or 'to say to do something'), it requires the preposition di right before the infinitive verb. Here, dicono di rinforzare translates to 'they say to reinforce'.
Why do the adverbs sempre prima come right after the infinitive rinforzare?
In Italian, adverbs of frequency like sempre typically follow immediately after the verb they modify. Because prima (meaning 'first' or 'beforehand' in this context) is also an adverb, it naturally stacks right after sempre, creating the smooth phrase rinforzare sempre prima (to always reinforce first).
Why use prima instead of primo to mean 'first'?
In this sentence, prima is acting as an invariable adverb of time meaning 'beforehand' or 'firstly'. If you used primo, it would act as an adjective and would need to agree with a specific noun (like 'the first building' or 'the first step'), whereas prima simply describes the timing of the action rinforzare.
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