Breakdown of Decideremo in base al prezzo.
il prezzo
the price
decidere
to decide
in base a
on the basis of, according to
Questions & Answers about Decideremo in base al prezzo.
What exactly is in base a, and how does it relate to connectors like oltre a or rispetto a?
In base a is a prepositional phrase meaning "based on" or "according to." Just like oltre a (in addition to) and rispetto a (compared to), it ends with the preposition a. Because of this, it follows the exact same grammatical rules: when placed before a noun, the a must combine with the noun's definite article.
Why do we use al here instead of just in base a prezzo?
Because prezzo requires its definite article (il) in Italian. You are deciding based on the price. Even though in base a is a multi-word phrase, the final preposition a still acts normally. When it meets il prezzo, they must combine to form the articulated preposition al.
Could I say basato sul prezzo instead of in base al prezzo?
Not directly in this exact sentence structure. Basato su (based on) acts like an adjective because basato is a past participle. It needs a noun to describe and must agree with it in gender and number, such as una decisione basata sul prezzo (a decision based on the price). Here, you are modifying the verb decideremo (we will decide), so you need the adverbial phrase in base a.
Are there other connectors I could use here to mean "according to" or "depending on"?
Yes! You could use a seconda del prezzo (depending on the price) or secondo il prezzo (according to the price). Notice that secondo acts as a standalone preposition and doesn't combine with the article, whereas a seconda di ends in di, so it combines with il to form del.
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