Question 1

Why is there no article before sociologo? I would have expected in quanto un sociologo.

Accepted Answer

When using in quanto to express a role or capacity (meaning "in the capacity of" or "as a"), Italian drops the article before the noun. So, "as a sociologist" translates simply to in quanto sociologo.

Question 2

Could I use come instead of in quanto here?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you could say come sociologo, which also translates to "as a sociologist" and similarly drops the article. However, in quanto sociologo sounds slightly more formal and emphasizes the professional authority or specific capacity behind the advice you are giving.

Question 3

How exactly does the verb sconsigliare work if I want to specify who I am advising?

Accepted Answer

The verb sconsigliare (to advise against) follows the pattern sconsigliare qualcosa a qualcuno (to advise someone against something). If you wanted to say "I advise you against the use of cell phones," you would use an indirect object pronoun: ti sconsiglio l'uso dei cellulari.

Question 4

Why is it a tavola without a definite article instead of alla tavola?

Accepted Answer

A tavola is a fixed idiom that specifically means "at the table" in the context of sitting down to eat a meal. If you were just talking about the physical piece of furniture in a non-dining context (like "leave the keys on the table"), you would use the article: sulla tavola or sul tavolo.

Comunque, in quanto sociologo, sconsiglio l'uso dei cellulari a tavola.

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