Breakdown of A pagare la caparra subito, non si perde l'affare.
non
not
subito
immediately / right away
pagare
to pay
perdere
to lose, to miss
si
one (impersonal)
l'affare
the bargain, the deal (m)
a
if/when one does (+ infinitive)
la caparra
the deposit
Questions & Answers about A pagare la caparra subito, non si perde l'affare.
Why does a pagare mean 'if you pay' here instead of 'to pay'?
This sentence uses the structure a + present infinitive to form an implicit conditional clause. It acts just like a se (if) clause, meaning 'if one pays'. It is a concise way to express a condition when the subject of both halves of the sentence is the same.
Who is the subject of both halves of this sentence?
The main clause uses non si perde, which relies on the impersonal si to mean 'one does not lose' or 'you do not lose' in a general sense. Because the implicit conditional clause (a pagare) does not have a conjugated verb, it automatically adopts this same impersonal subject.
Could I just use a standard se clause instead of a pagare?
Is caparra the only word for 'deposit' in Italian?
No, but it is the exact right word for a deal. A caparra is specifically a security deposit or earnest money (like when renting an apartment or making a bargain) that you might forfeit if you back out. An anticipo, on the other hand, is simply an advance payment on a total bill.
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