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- "Allora ho cominciato a capir…
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I had 'Now I've begun to understand', and it was marked as wrong... shouldn't that be correct?
Your answer too much based on the dictionary. "Now I understand it" is not the same as "I understand it now". In the first case you can use "allora", in the second can it only can be "ora".
Both allora and poi can be translated as "then", but they are not synonyms.
Allora can have a cause-effect connotation, whereas poi is more temporal, meaning just "subsequently".
Quindi has a wider meaning and includes both of these.
Besides, allora also means "then" as in "at that time" (a quel tempo / a quei tempi).
That would be "da allora" (da quel momento sounds better), expressing "since then (since that moment)" with a time meaning. "Allora" simply means "then", with a mixed undefinite causal/time meaning.
What is the difference: a capire, per capire and di capire?? When do we use them?
it is not about "capire" but about the verb that goes before it) here it is "cominciare" which requires "a" after it and before the following infinitive
As Pemberley said, it depends on the verb before the infinitive.
To start to understand = cominciare a capire
To try to understand = cercare di capire (but also provare a capire).
1393
It has the same meaning but 'allora' is a bit more general, 'at that moment' refers to a specific point in time and is a set phrase. For instance with 'he carried on coming home later everyday, then i began to understand', 'then' refers to a period of time rather than a single point
- 1148
Why is it 'a capire' ? Capire means to understand, so the sentence, literally translated, is 'Then I started to to understand'.
Actually, to understand can be translated as a capire, di capire, per capire and simply capire.
Why are there 'a capire' and 'per capire' ? How to know which is right for each sentence?
Which preposition has to be used depends on the first verb of the construction. They usually are A and DI, while PER is used in final sentences (don't know if that's what they are called in English, sentences expressing a goal/purpose).
Allora cominciai a capire = Then I started to understand.
Allora cercai di capire = Then I tried to understand.
Allora studiai per capire = Then I studied to understand (so that I could u.)
What is wrong with "From then on I started to understand." when "From then on" is given as a hint for "Allora"
That would translate as "avevo cominciato". That tense expresses a past"er" action that happened before a past action.
Report it, I've found the Italian course maintainers pretty good at fixing errors, but it takes them a while for fixes to come through as there is a backlog.
- 305
So I started to understand Così ho cominciato a capire. It's pretty much the same as "Allora, ho cominciato.. " However,there is a subtle difference..
Mmmm but there is not a one to one relationship with words here. "So" has a meaning of "then" in this sentence, indicating a cause and effect. But then "so" can also mean "like that" just like "così", like just what happened without there being cause and effect. Using "so" here doesn't change the meaning of the sentence. But if the sentence was "Così ho cominciato a capire" I would probably translate as "And like that I began to understand".
- 305
Essentially, the Italian sentence mean: because of that event, due to what I heard, because of what somebody said, because of what I read, because of what I have (suddenly) been gone through, since I am in that determined situation or environment... And like that must refer to one of these cases (which it doesn't I think), and must not mean "For that reason". It 's not a simple, plain cause in fact, but it concerns something big, important, something you "touched with your bare hands". That is the subtlety what I was talking about, you see. It's not a simple cause-and-consequence situation, as the word "così" seems to suggest. If you want thing to fit perfectly, you got to analyse. The problem is that I may exxagerate then, I am aware. But strictly spoken, "così" is a little different connotation. You see what I mean, Hunter?
Thanks for updating your post and making it clearer, but it's still hard to understand, sorry. What I can say is adverbs can be tricky in that their meaning can often change based on the sentence that they are in, this might not be obvious until you try and translate from one language to another.
@fariz
I've heard it used that way, but not in the strictest sense. It seems more closely translated to "well then"
- 305
ALLORA ho cominciato/iniziato a capire. Allora takes the meaning of 1.From that moment, from then on. 2. Then. 3.At that moment 4. At that point. But staying near to the Italian sentence, Duo should choose only then/from then on. Because the other variants have a translation on their own. AT THAT MOMENT: Da quel momento ho cominciato a capire. AT THAT POINT: A questo punto, ho cominciato a capire.
So I started to understand is correct (according to Mr. Duo), but So I have started to understand is not? Does anyone know why the second isn't acceptable?
Why is "ho" needed in this sentence? Would "Allora cominciato a capire" also be correct or said by a speaker?
- 778
for present perfect tense (passato prossimo), you will use either a form of "avere" (in this case "ho cominciato" for "i have started") or "essere" in combination with the verb form for things that happened in the recent past. "cominciato", as the passato prossimo conjugation for first person, isn't valid on its own.
Grazie, Kenan. Sometimes I wonder if I'll every get beyond "Dov'e' is bagno, per favore?
- 27
I put "So I have begun to understand", which was marked wrong. "So I began to understand" was the 'correct' answer given. "Ho cominciato" surely translates as "have begun", and if not, why the Hell not? I do see there is a difference in meaning, but I don't see why it's not "have begun". I have not begun to understand!
Since I'm a girl would i say ho cominciata? Or would it still be ho cominciato?
In English "now i began to understand" has the same meaning as "then I started to understand" in that the speaker is reflecting back on a moment in time on an event. Duolingo doesn't understand this. But then/now I need to get an understanding of how "iniziare" and "cominciare" are used, as "initiate," "commence" and "begin" are often used in the same context in English.
- 305
I modified my post, all abbreviations have been deleted now (no BC, SB.... anymore). I apology. Bye Hunter