Breakdown of Vendiamo il velluto a trenta euro a rotolo.
l'euro
the euro (m)
trenta
thirty
vendere
to sell
il velluto
the velvet
a
per (rate, e.g. per meter)
il rotolo
the roll
Questions & Answers about Vendiamo il velluto a trenta euro a rotolo.
Why is the preposition a used twice in this sentence to mean both "at" and "per"?
The preposition a is highly versatile in Italian commercial contexts. The first a indicates the price at which something is sold (at thirty euros). The second a acts as a distributive preposition meaning "per" or "for each" to show the unit of sale (a rotolo).
For "per roll", why do we say a rotolo instead of using the combined preposition al rotolo?
When expressing a rate, Italian typically uses the combined preposition (a + definite article) for standard weights and continuous measures like al chilo (per kilo) or al litro (per liter). However, for discrete, countable items like a roll, a piece, or a person, the simple preposition a is used without the article, giving us a rotolo, a pezzo, or a persona.
Why doesn't euro get pluralized to "euri" since the price is thirty?
In standard Italian, the word euro is invariable, meaning its ending does not change in the plural. You will say un euro (one euro) and trenta euro (thirty euros).
Why does the Italian sentence say il velluto (the velvet) when the English translation just says "velvet"?
Italian requires a definite article before general categories, broad concepts, and materials. Because the sentence refers to velvet as a general material being sold, il velluto is the grammatically correct choice, even though English drops the article.
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