Breakdown of Pur di arricchirsi, sono andati all'estero senza salutare.
essere
to be
senza
without
andare
to go / to be fine / to work out
a
to / at
l'estero
abroad (m)
salutare
to greet
pur di
just to / in order to (at any cost)
arricchirsi
to get rich
Questions & Answers about Pur di arricchirsi, sono andati all'estero senza salutare.
What exactly does pur di mean here, and why does it take an infinitive?
Pur di translates to "just to" or "even if it means." It introduces a clause of extreme purpose or desperation. It is followed by the infinitive (arricchirsi) because the subject getting rich is the exact same as the subject going abroad (an "implicit" clause).
Where does the si in arricchirsi come from, and why is it attached to the end?
The verb is the reflexive arricchirsi (to get rich or enrich oneself). Whenever an infinitive follows a preposition like the di in pur di, the reflexive pronoun attaches directly to the end of the verb, and the final 'e' of the infinitive is dropped (arricchire + si = arricchirsi).
Why is "abroad" translated as all'estero rather than using the preposition in like other destinations?
While Italian typically uses in for countries (like in Italia), estero (meaning foreign countries or abroad) is treated as a specific noun location. It always takes the articulated preposition a + l' to form the set phrase all'estero.
English uses "without saying" (an -ing verb), so why does Italian use the infinitive salutare instead of the gerund salutando?
This is a classic trap for English speakers! In Italian, prepositions like senza, di, or per are always followed by the infinitive (salutare), never the gerund, even though English naturally uses the "-ing" form.
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