Breakdown of Nel brontolare non risolvi il problema.
non
not
il problema
the problem
nel
in the (in + il) / while / upon (doing something)
risolvere
to resolve
brontolare
to grumble
Questions & Answers about Nel brontolare non risolvi il problema.
Why is nel brontolare used here instead of the gerund brontolando to mean "by grumbling"?
Both are correct ways to express "by [verb]-ing". Using nel (the preposition in + the definite article il) turns the infinitive into a noun. Nel brontolare emphasizes the abstract concept of grumbling, whereas brontolando focuses slightly more on the action itself. Using nel + infinitive is a great stylistic alternative to the gerund for a B2 learner to use.
How could we incorporate this lesson's structure, non fare altro che, into the sentence?
To emphasize that grumbling is the only thing happening, you could change the phrasing to: Non fai altro che brontolare e non risolvi il problema (You do nothing but grumble and you don't solve the problem). The original sentence states that grumbling won't solve the issue, but doesn't explicitly claim it is the exclusive action.
Why do we use the combined preposition nel rather than just in before the infinitive?
When an infinitive acts as a noun in Italian (a substantivized infinitive), it takes on the role of a masculine singular noun and requires the definite article il. The preposition in merges with il to form nel.
Could the action of nel brontolare refer to a different person than the subject of risolvi?
No. Just like with a standard gerund, when you use nel + infinitive without explicitly naming a subject, the implied subject is always the same as the one in the main clause. Since the main verb is risolvi (you solve), the person doing the grumbling is also understood to be "you".
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