A theoretical and practical Italian grammar - National Library of ...

8 PREPOSITIONS.
12. The negation precedes the verb in Italian.
Io non so la mia lezione,
\
I do not know my lesson.
13. In interrogative phrases, the pronouns follow the verb ;
they may however be omitted when the emphasis or stress of
the voice should mark the interrogation. Ex.
Avete voi capito?
Non siamo stati forse ingan-
I Have you understood ?
Have wo not perhaps been
nati ?
I deceived ?
Da, //-o???, by.
14. From is rendered in Italian by da; this preposition is
never curtailed, even before words beginning with the vowel a.
Ex.
Andando a Costantinopoli passai
da Atene,
Da Aprile fino a Luglio,
In going to Constantinople I went
by Athens.
From April till July.
15. Da is employed to connect two words, the latter of which
expresses the use or destination of the former, and in this case
the English order is reversed. Ex.
Carta da scrivere,
Una bottiglia da vino, ,
So comprato un cavallo da sella, e
due cavalli da carrozza, \
Writing-paper.
|
A wine-bottle.
I have bought a saddle- horse and
{
two carriage-Iìorses.
16. Bì/ is translated by da when preceded by a past parti-
ciple. Ex.
Le persone virtuose sono stimate da Virtuous persons are esteemed by
tutti, every one.
Siamo stati invitati da un amico, We have been invited by a friend.
II ritratto di Dante, dipinto da The portrait of Dante, painted by
Giotto, Giotto.
17. Prepositions are generally repeated in Italian before each
noun, pronoun, or verb which they govern, whether they are
repeated or not in English. Ex.
Sono stato a Roma ed a Firenze,
Ho udito questa novella da lui e da
altri,
Farliamo spesso di voi e i
sorella.
I have been at Rome and Florence.
I have heard this news from him and
from others.
We often speak of you and of your
bister.