Question 1

Since this lesson is about vederci, could I use it here instead of saying sono quasi cieco?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. You could say non ci vedo quasi per niente (I can hardly see at all). While sono quasi cieco literally means "I am almost blind," using vederci is a very natural and common way to describe your physical capacity to see (or not see).

Question 2

Why does cieco have an 'i' if it's pronounced exactly like ceco?

Accepted Answer

The 'i' in cieco is a rare spelling exception and is completely silent—both words are pronounced "CHEH-ko". It kept the 'i' from its Latin root partly to distinguish it in writing from ceco, which means "Czech" (the nationality).

Question 3

Why is il contorno (the outline) in the singular when talking about multiple cose (things)?

Accepted Answer

In Italian, when multiple objects each possess one of a certain feature, it is very common to use the singular for that feature. Since each thing has one outline, il contorno works perfectly to describe the general concept, though i contorni delle cose would also be grammatically correct.

Question 4

What is the infinitive of distinguo, and are there any irregularities I should watch out for?

Accepted Answer

The infinitive is distinguere (to distinguish). While its present tense is regular (io distinguo, tu distingui, etc.), you need to watch out for its past participle: it drops the 'u' and 'g' completely, becoming distinto.

Sono quasi cieco, senza gli occhiali distinguo solo il contorno delle cose.

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