Breakdown of «Togli le virgolette», ribatté lo scrittore.
lo scrittore
the writer
togliere
to take off, to remove
le virgolette
quotation marks
ribattere
to retort
Questions & Answers about «Togli le virgolette», ribatté lo scrittore.
Why is the subject at the end of the sentence in ribatté lo scrittore?
In written Italian, when reporting direct speech, the subject usually comes after the reporting verb (like disse, rispose, or ribatté). While English sometimes does this ('retorted the writer'), Italian uses this post-verbal subject inversion much more consistently, making it the standard style in literature and journalism.
Why is the verb ribatté in the passato remoto tense?
Ribatté is the passato remoto (historical past) of ribattere (to retort). This tense is the standard narrative past tense in Italian storytelling. Because this sentence involves direct dialogue tags and a writer (lo scrittore), it strongly signals a literary context where the passato remoto is naturally preferred over the passato prossimo.
How is the imperative form togli formed?
Togli is the informal imperative for 'tu' (you) from the verb togliere (to remove or take away). Verbs ending in '-gliere' like togliere and scegliere (to choose) form the 'tu' imperative by simply dropping the '-ere' ending, leaving you with togli and scegli.
Does the word virgolette literally mean 'little commas'?
Exactly! It comes from virgola (comma) plus the feminine plural diminutive suffix -ette. So le virgolette are the 'little commas' used as quotation marks. Notice how the sentence uses guillemets (« »), which are the traditional quotation marks in Italian publishing, though English-style quotes are also called virgolette.
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