Breakdown of Sciacquare il viso e lavare le mani.
e
and
lavare
to wash
il viso
the face
la
her/it (direct object)
la mano
the hand
sciacquare
to rinse
Questions & Answers about Sciacquare il viso e lavare le mani.
Why are we using the infinitives sciacquare and lavare here instead of normal imperative commands?
This is the jussive infinitive. In Italian, when giving general instructions, rules, or warnings to a general public (like on a sign, a recipe, or a manual), you use the infinitive instead of conjugating the verb into the imperative.
Why does the sentence use il viso (the face) and le mani (the hands) instead of possessives like your face and your hands?
In Italian, when referring to body parts, you almost always use the definite article (il, la, i, le) instead of a possessive adjective (il tuo, le tue) as long as it is obvious whose body part is involved.
Why is the feminine plural article le used with mani?
What is the exact difference between sciacquare and lavare?
Lavare means to wash, which usually implies using soap or a cleaning agent. Sciacquare means to rinse, which specifically means using water to clear away soap or dirt.
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