Breakdown of Il pizzo è qualcosa di meraviglioso da guardare.
essere
to be
guardare
to look at / to watch
qualcosa
something
da
to (purpose/necessity after a noun)
di
(linking an indefinite pronoun to an adjective)
meraviglioso
wonderful
il pizzo
the lace
Questions & Answers about Il pizzo è qualcosa di meraviglioso da guardare.
Why do we say qualcosa di meraviglioso instead of just qualcosa meraviglioso?
After indefinite pronouns like qualcosa (something), niente (nothing), or qualcuno (someone), Italian requires the preposition di before a modifying adjective.
Why is the preposition da used before guardare? Could I use a instead?
You must use da here because it connects the noun phrase to an infinitive to express a passive purpose, translating roughly to 'to be looked at'. While you are currently learning to use the preposition a for rates or distribution, a cannot be used to link an indefinite pronoun to an infinitive describing its purpose in this way.
Why use guardare instead of vedere for 'to look at'?
Guardare is an active, intentional action (to look at, to watch), whereas vedere is the passive action of perceiving with your eyes (to see). Since you actively admire lace, guardare is the correct choice.
I've heard the word pizzo used in a totally different context. What else can it mean?
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