"Non mettere il vino nuovo nelle vecchie bottiglie!"
Translation:Do not put the new wine in the old bottles!
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No, this is an imperative form (a command). When using the imperative in the second person singular, negatives use the infinitive form of the verb. This indicates that the command is directed at a single individual.
Which begs the question, why is Duolingo throwing imperatives at us now? There's been one or two in past lessons, but now they seem keen on throwing multiple examples at us even though there is a future imperatives lesson that has this one as a requirement!
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It raises rather than begs the question, but I assume they're throwing the informal second person singular negative imperative at us because it happens to be the same as the infinitive.
Why not throw imperatives at us now? It's one of the uses of the Infinitive. I happen to be enjoying this section, actually. It's nice to have a relatively easy one after having just done several hard ones.
It's a helpful way of learning. Know that the best way to learn is to make mistakes. Stop whining like what everybody else always do.
On a cultural point, whoever wrote this phrase has never been to one of Italy's glories, the local cantina, where you very definitely turn up with an old bottle/jerry can or whatever and get it filled to your heart's content.
It's reffering to Mark 2:22. You'd have to read even before the verse.
Jesus came to the earth to bring in a whole new order, where the grace of God, operating through faith, would be the main motivating principle, instead of the obedience of the Law, given my Moses, motivated by fear of punishment. Jesus' enemies could not understand this, so they criticized Him and His disciples for not doing things the old and accepted way of the Law. The new bottles foreshadows the New Covenant; and the new wine forshadows the gift of the Holy Spirit, which was to fill those who believed in him, after he died for our sins and rose again from the dead. Therefore, this phrase said by Jesus, "Do not put new wine into old bottles, or else the new wine will burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be ruined," meaning the Gospel that will only fill with rage and fury to those under the Old Testament (Pact), and will despise it and let it go.
So it's more than just an idiom, but a spiritual teaching. :)
It was also a teaching based on common experience when the bottles concerned were made of leather not glass, and would split under pressure of fermentation.
Take a look at what lesliewilman said above and "bags" makes more sense. ;-)
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Different versions of the Bible say "bottles" or "wineskins"(otri). Since almost 88% of Italians are Roman Catholic, "bottles" best fits the Italian culture.
Are these equivalent: il nuovo vino = il vino nuovo? le vecchie bottiglie = le bottiglie vecchie?
- 1595
like in french i think certain adjectives, particularly of size or age, go before rather than after the noun, but ive never established whether it's actually grammatically wrong to go against the common usage.
We generally prefer to put adjectives after nouns. When they are before they make the sentence sound poetic, so put them after the noun and you'll be 90% right. There are some exceptions but I think it's more about the construction than the adjective itself. For example, when possessives are used, the adjective will come before the noun. Sometimes the position of the adjective will change its meaning, as in "amico vecchio" vs "vecchio amico": they both mean "old friend", but the first one is old for his age while the second has been friends with you for a long time.
Interesting. In English, putting the adjective after the noun sounds ancient and poetical
This feels like an idiom or a proverb to me. Does it have any meaning other than the literal one?
My Italian husband replies: Yes! "Non si mette vino nuovo in otri vecchi". It has a bit of Latin and is and is an old saying, which means don't mix thing are not the same or don't belong together.
It's included in the Idioms section of the Spanish course. I wouldn't be surprised if it's included in the Italian Idioms section as well.
Any particular reason why "vecchie" is placed before "bottiglie"? And would it be wrong if it were placed after?
- 1595
some adjectives, particularly of size and time, are exceptional and go before the noun, not sure if it's a strict grammar rule or just common usage
I translated: - "not to put .." - DO NOT PUT is negative imperative, 2nd person (sing. or pl.), and could be NON METTI or NON METTETE, in italian, as I have learned till now.
It could not. In Italian the negative imperative for the "tu" person always uses the infinitive.
N + adj...adj + N. Both are adjectives relating to age. I think I was counted wrong previously for saying "bottiglie vecchie.
But this is a proverb: 'non mettere il vino nuovo nella botte vecchia', and is in the Vangelo, maybe not the same sentence
- "vecchie bottiglie" - the bottles which were previously used
- "bottiglie vecchie" - "old bottles" in the terms of age, they may be 100 years old
same with "nuovo" (it may be "new"(fresh) or "new" for you (you are seeing it for the first time in your life)
there is only one verb here ant in the infinitive, isn't this sentence missing?
Why can't "vecchie" vollow "bottiglie"? I put it after the noun and it was marked wrong.
I notice the order: vino nuovo, but vecchie bottiglie. Any reason for the different positions of the noun+adjective?
Why does the wine have its adjective afterward, but not the bottles?
