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È inutile provare rancore, ossia è meglio perdonare.

È inutile provare rancore, ossia è meglio perdonare.
It is useless to hold a grudge; in other words, it's better to forgive.
From Lesson 450:Being angry with someone (avercela)·Italian

Questions & Answers about È inutile provare rancore, ossia è meglio perdonare.

Since this lesson is about the pronominal verb avercela, why doesn't this sentence use it to say holding a grudge?
Avercela (con qualcuno) means to be angry or hold a grudge against a specific person. Since this sentence is making a general philosophical statement about the feeling of resentment itself, it uses provare rancore (literally, to feel resentment) instead.
Why do we use provare with rancore instead of a literal translation like tenere or avere?
In Italian, emotions and feelings are typically experienced using the verb provare. While English speakers hold a grudge, Italians feel resentment (provare rancore), anger (provare rabbia), or even pity (provare pietà).
Why is there no preposition like di or a before provare or perdonare?
When an adjective follows the impersonal structure è + [adjective] (like è inutile or è meglio), the infinitive verb that comes right after acts as the subject of the sentence. No preposition is needed in this direct construction.
What exactly does ossia mean and can I just use cioè instead?
Ossia means in other words or that is to say. It is completely interchangeable with cioè in this context, though ossia often sounds slightly more formal or polished in writing.

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