Learn Italian: È inutile provare rancore, ossia è meglio perdonare. - It is useless to hold a grudge; in other words, it's better to forgive.

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?