rent · Italian (affittare) — Event-Structure Dictionary

Arguments

Lessor, Lessee, Thing, Price · rate open · usual theme split · working claim, revisable

Voice[Lessor ∨ Lessee] + Goal_{a · mi/gli/le} on the dare reading + Theme_thing_ACC · Source unprinted · Price_{a caro prezzo} · rate unranked

A commercial rental, on this reading, has a Lessor, a Lessee, the Thing, and a Price. A duration or a rate may be named in the same clause. They are not four or five equal sisters of affittare. Voice adds one party as subject. On the lessor reading the other party is an a-phrase, the person who receives the use. The clitic printed for an argument of that shape is mi, on noleggiare. gli and le are the third-person forms of a complemento di termine. They are unprinted on affittare. The root’s object is the Thing, a direct object. Where a price is written beside the thing, De Mauro puts price wording under a: a caro prezzo. That phrase has no numeral. A bare sum, and per plus a sum, are unprinted. The Price is not a second direct object. Whether a duration or a rate is an argument or only an adjunct is open: the verb entries name no rate, and the noun affitto says the sum is usually paid a rate.

What is different from the English gloss, from German, from French, and from Spanish. English rent is direction-neutral. The subject can be either party, and the direction sits in the preposition: rent the flat to Chris (the subject lets it) and rent the flat from Chris (the subject takes it). English rent out and English let keep the lessor as subject. German splits the direction onto two lemmas and does not split the theme the same way. On vermieten the subject is the lessor, and the printed things include a dwelling and a vehicle. mieten has the lessee as subject and is not a page. French keeps both directions and both theme types on louer, and the ordinary marker of the other party is the same à on both. Spanish keeps both directions on alquilar. DLE sense 1 names an urban property, an animal, or a movable as the thing, and the cited a-phrase does not choose the party. Italian, on the entries read here, usually splits the theme. affittare is the verb of a dwelling or a shop. noleggiare is the verb of a boat, a car, or a piece of equipment. The split is a usual one, and it is revisable: Treccani still prints a carriage and a boat under affittare and marks that use meno com., and De Mauro prints affittare una barca and affittare un’auto under the nolo sub-sense. No noleggiare line read here has an immobile as the thing. affittare itself is two-way. Treccani sense 1 is dare in affitto. Treccani sense 2 is prendere in affitto, labeled frequent and improprio. De Mauro and Sabatini-Coletti print both directions and do not use that label. On the lessor reading the lessee is a plus a person. On the lessee-subject reading the same entries print the thing and do not print a source phrase. A da-phrase of the lessor is unprinted. dare in affitto and prendere in affitto name the direction. This page does not open a second lemma for the other direction, and it does not open noleggiare or locare.

Places · who wears which marking

Treccani, De Mauro, and Sabatini-Coletti print the thing and, on the lessor reading, a person in a. They do not print lessor, lessee, thing, and a numeral sum as four labeled sisters of one clause. De Mauro’s price line is un appartamento a caro prezzo. Sabatini-Coletti’s payment wording is the definition’s dietro pagamento. No line read here prints per or a bare numeral beside the thing, and no line prints al mese.

Printed lessor-subject frame · a is the taker · direct-object thing · no numeral

✓ affittare a qualcuno un fondo, una casa, un negozio Treccani · affittare sense 1 · dare in affitto · di solito immobili

to rent out to someone · a piece of land, a house, a shop

Printed lessee-subject frame · the thing only · no a-person · no da · no price in this line

✓ affittare una camera, un appartamento Treccani sense 2 · prendere in affitto · labeled improprio

to take a room, an apartment, on rent

Places of affittare: introducer, Italian marking, case status, English, German, French, and Spanish marking
Place	Introduced by (working)	Italian marking	Case status	English, German, French, Spanish
Lessor	Spec,Voice on the dare reading · the source phrase on the prendere reading is unprinted	subject of Treccani sense 1 and of Sabatini-Coletti’s first frame · no da + DP in the lines read	the subject is structural on either reading · the printed other-party cloth is a, and it is printed on the lessor-subject reading · a source preposition on the lessee-subject reading is unprinted	subject of rent … to, of rent out, and of let · vermieten subject · source of rent … from · à or subject of louer · a or subject of alquilar
Lessee	Spec,Voice on the prendere reading · or the a-phrase on the dare reading	subject of Treccani sense 2 and of Sabatini-Coletti’s second frame · a + DP, or mi, when the subject lets the thing · Treccani a qualcuno · Sabatini-Coletti a un conoscente, a un amico	the a-phrase is the complemento di termine of the dare reading · mi on noleggiare is that argument · gli / le are the third person of the same slot and are unprinted on these verbs · the lessee-subject frame, as printed, has no prepositional argument	to when the English subject is the lessor · subject of rent … from · dative or an+accusative of vermieten · subject of mieten · à or subject of louer · a or subject of alquilar
Thing	complement of √RENT- (Theme)	direct object · a dwelling or a shop on the usual affittare reading (un fondo, una casa, un negozio, un appartamento, una camera, un campo, una villa) · a movable on the nolo sub-sense and on noleggiare	structural · the nominal the announcement passive agrees with	direct object · accusative of vermieten, of louer, and of alquilar
Price	a holds price wording where De Mauro writes it · a numeral MeasureP is unprinted	a caro prezzo · definition prose dietro pagamento · the noun affitto is the sum	oblique price wording under a · no numeral in that phrase · dietro pagamento is the definition, not a second theme · a bare sum and per + a sum are unprinted · the letter a is also the letter of the lessee	for + MeasureP · für + MeasureP where a German source prints the sum · pour + MeasureP where Larousse writes the sum · por in the Spanish gloss, numeral unprinted there
Duration / rate	unranked · unprinted as a verb phrase	the noun says the sum is paid di solito a rate · al mese is unprinted on the verb	installment wording on the noun · argument versus adjunct unprinted · not given a seat as a fifth sister	a month / for a period · German period unranked on vermieten · French par mois and al mese’s mates au mois, à la semaine are printed there · Spanish por el tiempo unranked

Marking map. One letter can belong to the lessee or to the price. Read the head, then the marker. The source preposition is the one the entries do not print.

Direct object of the thing. Treccani, De Mauro, and Sabatini-Coletti mark affittare transitive. The object of the usual reading is a piece of land, a house, a shop, an apartment, a room, a field, a villa. The object of the nolo sub-sense is a carriage, a boat, a plane, a car. The direct object is the thing whose use is transferred for a time. It is not the price.
a + the lessee, on the lessor reading. Treccani sense 1: a. a qualcuno un fondo, una casa, un negozio, inside dare in affitto, in locazione, riferito di solito a beni immobili. Sabatini-Coletti’s first frame is [sogg-v-arg-prep.arg]: un campo a un conoscente, and, for the nolo sub-sense, una barca a un amico. The synonym entry’s bracket for that reading is con la prep. a del secondo arg. On that reading the a-phrase is the Goal, the person who comes to have the use. The second argument can be left unexpressed when the context is known: sai che ho affittato la casa?
The lessee-subject reading has no printed source phrase. Treccani sense 2: a. una camera, un appartamento, glossed prendere in affitto, in locazione, and labeled di uso frequente, ma improprio. De Mauro sense 2: affittare una stanza, and under nolo affittare un’auto. Sabatini-Coletti’s second frame is [sogg-v-arg]: una villa, and under nolo un aereo. That frame symbol has a subject and a direct object. It has no prep.arg. A da-phrase of the owner is unprinted in these lines. A da that, beside an a-phrase, forces the subject to be the lessee is unprinted. The working claim is that the dictionaries write the Goal and do not write the Source. It stays revisable if a later entry prints da.
mi, and gli / le. An a-argument of a person is the phrase a dative clitic replaces. Sabatini-Coletti prints it on noleggiare, dare frame: la ditta mi ha noleggiato un furgone. The company is the subject. mi is the prep.arg the definition calls a qlcu. The thing is the van. Treccani’s vocabolario entry gli is the weak form for the complemento di termine, a lui. The same grammar page that was read names le as the feminine of that slot in careful writing, and says gli is spreading to the feminine. No affittare line prints gli or le. The constructed Gli affitto un appartamento puts the third-person clitic on the dare frame. Doubling the clitic with a full a-phrase in one rental clause is unprinted.
A da-argument and ne. No affittare or noleggiare line read here prints da or ne. Treccani’s grammar of personal pronouns, as read, keeps the weak form for the direct object and for the complemento di termine, and keeps a strong form for another indirect complement. The da example on that page is venire da te, with da and the strong pronoun. It is not a rental clause, and it is not ne. Whether a source da of affittare, itself unprinted, could be resumed by ne is not shown. This page does not give that string a judgment.
a caro prezzo, and dietro pagamento. De Mauro sense 1: affittare un appartamento a caro prezzo. The price wording sits under a, in the same example as the apartment. There is no person in that line, and there is no numeral. Sabatini-Coletti’s definition has dietro pagamento and does not put a sum in the examples. Treccani’s verb entry has no price phrase. The noun affitto, in both Treccani and De Mauro, is also the sum that is paid. Treccani: somma pagata (di solito a rate). De Mauro: il prezzo convenuto per l’uso di tale bene, with pagare, riscuotere l’affitto. That noun is the price. It is not a MeasureP inside a verb clause that also has the thing. A bare numeral beside the accusative thing is unprinted. per plus a numeral is unprinted. On vendere the printed price cloth of this dictionary’s Italian sell page is per. The price wording read here for affittare is a.
Duration and rate. No verb example read here contains al mese, al giorno, or per un mese. The noun’s a rate says the sum is usually paid in installments. It does not rank that phrase as an argument or as an adjunct of the verb, and it does not name the month. The question stays open. The rate is not given a seat as a fifth sister, and it is not a second price.
Passive. De Mauro prints the announcement shape under the lessor sense: affittasi appartamento, affittansi camere. The thing is the nominal, and the verb agrees in number. De Mauro’s locare entry prints si loca, locasi, si affitta, si dà in affitto. Treccani’s locare entry prints the sign si loca. The thing is what those announcements offer. Treccani’s participle affittato is also an adjective, glossed dato o tenuto in affitto: un appartamento già affittato. That gloss covers both directions and is not a finite essere passive. A finite essere passive that keeps an a-phrase is unprinted. A passive that makes the a-party the subject and leaves the thing a direct object is unprinted. It is not starred.
Periphrases that name the direction. Treccani’s verb glosses are dare in affitto and prendere in affitto. The noun entry prints both in one line: dare, prendere in affitto un appartamento. De Mauro’s noun prints dare, prendere in affitto. De Mauro’s locare entry prints si dà in affitto. The nolo pair is dare a nolo and prendere a nolo, and De Mauro’s nolo entry prints prendere, dare a nolo. These periphrases name the direction. A clause that only has the verb and the thing does not, by a preposition, say which direction it is.
noleggiare, one paragraph, not a page. Treccani sense 1 is prendere a nolo, properly of boats, and then of other transport and of assorted goods: a boat, a launch, a fishing boat, a car, a bicycle, a piano, a typewriter, a costume, a videocassette, a beach umbrella. Sense 2 is dare a nolo: una ditta che noleggia autovetture. De Mauro: noleggiare una barca, una motocicletta, uno smoking, un computer, and ditta che noleggia autovetture, costumi da carnevale. Sabatini-Coletti: prendere un’auto, with no prepositional argument; dare la ditta mi ha noleggiato un furgone, and qui noleggiano biciclette with the person unexpressed. The synonym entry equates the nolo sub-sense of affittare, dare or prendere, with noleggiare. No immobile is the object in these lines. No page is opened.
locare, one paragraph, not a page. Treccani’s rental sense is dare in affitto, in locazione: an apartment, a shop, a safe-deposit box, especially legal language, and in some regions the ordinary sign si loca. The place-verb of Dante and Petrarch is another sense. De Mauro prints the dare reading and a prendere reading marked BU, with no example clause on the prendere reading. No a-person is in the lines read. No page is opened. Neighbouring names from the synonym entry, one line only: fittare, allogare, appigionare, and legal condurre for the prendere reading. No frame is taken from them.

EN ⇄ IT valency strip

Each row lines up one English slot with its Italian slot. The alignment type says what happens to the slot: = (same status), shift (structural ↔ oblique), one lemma whose subject can be either party, or a usual split of the theme onto two lemmas. Printed dictionary lines come first. Every other Italian sentence is constructed, modelled on a printed line. They show the working alignment, not frequency, and not a bilingual corpus.

English–Italian valency alignment for rent / affittare, one row per argument
Slot	EN form	IT form	Align	EN example	IT example
Lessor as subject	SUBJ of rent … to · SUBJ of rent out and of let	subject of dare in affitto	= for this direction · the lemma also has the other	She rents a house out to someone. constructed EN gloss of the Treccani frame	Dare in affitto. Treccani sense 1
Lessee as subject	SUBJ of rent … from · not a subject of let or of rent out	subject of prendere in affitto · same lemma · no source phrase in the frame	one Italian verb · English rent matches · English let and rent out do not · German uses mieten	She rented an apartment. constructed EN gloss · the Italian line has no from	Prendere in affitto. Treccani sense 2 · Sabatini-Coletti [sogg-v-arg]
Thing · dwelling	OBJ of rent	direct object of affittare	= · the usual theme of this lemma	rent the apartment constructed gloss	un appartamento De Mauro · Treccani
Thing · movable	OBJ of rent or of hire	direct object of noleggiare · also the nolo sub-sense of affittare	usual lexical split · French louer and Spanish alquilar keep the movable on the same lemma as the dwelling	hire a van / rent a van the two English names of one Italian movable	un furgone Sabatini-Coletti · noleggiare · una barca Treccani · affittare · meno com.
Lessee (a)	to + DP	a + DP · dare reading	shift · English to → Italian a · this a is printed as the Goal · it is not printed as the Source	to an acquaintance gloss	a un conoscente Sabatini-Coletti · a qualcuno Treccani
Clitic	no dative clitic	mi realizes the a-argument · gli / le are the third person	the printed clitic is mi on noleggiare · gli / le on affittare are constructed · doubling unprinted	— English has no mi	la ditta mi ha noleggiato un furgone Sabatini-Coletti · mi = the taker
Source da	from + DP	unprinted	English from has no mate in the entries read · French writes that owner as à, and as rare de	from Marie the English preposition with no printed Italian line	— no da-phrase in Treccani, De Mauro, or Sabatini-Coletti
Price	for + MeasureP	a caro prezzo · numeral unprinted · per + a sum unprinted	price wording under a · the inner MeasureP is unprinted · dietro pagamento is definition prose	at a high price gloss of the De Mauro line	a caro prezzo De Mauro
Duration / rate	time expression · status open	a rate on the noun · al mese unprinted on the verb	printed on the noun as installment wording · argument vs adjunct open	in installments gloss	di solito a rate Treccani · noun affitto
Passive of the thing	the thing as subject	affittasi / affittansi	= the announcement agrees with the thing · it does not install the a-party as subject	Apartment for rent. constructed gloss of the announcement	affittasi appartamento · affittansi camere De Mauro
Direction named outright	rent out / rent with a lessee subject	dare in affitto / prendere in affitto	periphrases · they choose the direction a bare thing-object leaves open	rent out / take on rent gloss	dare, prendere in affitto un appartamento Treccani · noun affitto

The strip below is a set of small multiples. Each card holds one frame, with English on top and Italian under it. The a-card is the Goal of the dare reading. The direction card is the pair of periphrases. The theme card is the usual split. The passive card agrees with the thing.

EN · IT · a = Goal

a qlcu.

I rent a field out to an acquaintance.

affittare un campo a un conoscente

IT · Sabatini-Coletti · dare frame [sogg-v-arg-prep.arg] · EN gloss is to · the prendere frame of the same entry has no preposition

RolesHide roles ThingGoal

Thing a field · un campo a an acquaintance · Goal

Move English to → a on the dare reading · English from is unprinted

EN · IT · one lemma

dare / prendere

to let something out / to take something on rent

dare in affitto / prendere in affitto

IT · Treccani glosses of one verb · the noun prints both · German splits the pair onto vermieten and mieten · French and Spanish keep the pair on one lemma and print a preposition for the other party on both readings

RolesHide roles SubjectThing

Subject lessor on dare · lessee on prendere Thing something · un appartamento

Move English rent is one verb · Italian affittare is one verb · the periphrasis chooses the direction

EN · IT · usual theme

affittare / noleggiare

rent a flat / hire a van

un appartamento / un furgone

IT · De Mauro spec. immobili · Sabatini-Coletti noleggiare the van · French louer and Spanish alquilar do not split the lemma this way · German vermieten prints the dwelling and the vehicle on one lessor lemma

RolesHide roles Thing

Thing a flat on affittare · a van on noleggiare

Move usual theme split · affittare of a boat is printed and marked less common

EN · IT · passive si

si ≠ the a-party

Apartment for rent. Rooms for rent.

affittasi appartamento · affittansi camere

IT · De Mauro · the announcement agrees with the thing · filed under the dare sense · si loca is the locare sign

RolesHide roles Thing

Thing apartment · rooms · appartamento · camere

= the announcement promotes the thing · it does not make the a-party the subject

Examples

Argument difference. English rent the flat to Chris and rent the flat from Chris keep one verb and put the direction in to or from. English let and rent out have the lessor as subject, so they match Treccani sense 1 and miss sense 2. The best English match of the lemma is rent. The frames diverge at the other party. English writes to and from. Italian writes a for the lessee on the dare reading, and the entries read here do not write a source preposition on the prendere reading. French writes one à for the taker and for the owner. Spanish writes one a in the sentences that the grammar calls ambiguous, and DLE writes the source of the definition as de alguien. German does not keep the choice inside one lemma: vermieten fixes the lessor, mieten fixes the lessee. The second divergence is the theme. noleggiare is the usual verb of a movable. affittare is the usual verb of a dwelling. English hire is the movable-side name beside rent. No bilingual line was read that prints hire, so that pairing stays a gloss of the theme split, not a cited translation. mi is the clitic of the a-argument on the dare reading of noleggiare. The announcement passive agrees with the thing. dare in affitto and prendere in affitto name the direction the bare frame leaves open.

Dictionary lines · checked · quoted as printed

Dare in affitto, in locazione, riferito di solito a beni immobili: affittare a qualcuno un fondo, una casa, un negozio; meno com., dare a nolo: affittare una carrozza, una barca. Treccani · affittare sense 1 · a = the taker · the movable is the less common nolo sub-sense

Di uso frequente, ma improprio, prendere in affitto, in locazione: affittare una camera, un appartamento. Treccani sense 2 · no a-person · no da · the improprio label is Treccani’s

dare in affitto, spec. immobili: affittare un appartamento a caro prezzo · affittasi appartamento, affittansi camere · dare a nolo: affittare una barca · prendere in affitto: affittare una stanza · prendere a nolo: affittare un’auto De Mauro · both directions · price wording a caro prezzo · announcement agrees with the thing

[sogg-v-arg-prep.arg] Concedere qlco. in uso a qlcu., dietro pagamento: affittare un campo a un conoscente; dare qlco. a nolo a qlcu.: affittare una barca a un amico. · [sogg-v-arg] Prendere qlco. in locazione: affittare una villa; prendere qlco. a nolo: affittare un aereo. Sabatini-Coletti · the dare frame has the a-person · the prendere frame has no prepositional argument · dietro pagamento is the definition

✓ la ditta mi ha noleggiato un furgone Sabatini-Coletti · noleggiare · dare frame · mi = a qlcu. · the thing is the van

dare, prendere in affitto un appartamento · somma pagata (di solito a rate) Treccani · noun affitto · the periphrases · the sum is the noun’s second sense

Part. pass. affittato, anche come agg., dato o tenuto in affitto: un appartamento già affittato. Treccani · the participle gloss covers both directions · not a finite essere clause

[dare in affitto, spec. beni immobili, con la prep. a del secondo arg.] · [dare, o prendere, a nolo] ≈ noleggiare · [prendere in affitto] Treccani · Sinonimi e Contrari · the a is specified for the dare reading of real estate · the nolo bracket is both directions

Strings below that are not in the block above are constructed, modelled on the printed lines. They are not spontaneous-speech citations and not dictionary lines. Pat / Marie / appartamento continue the named-participant series. 800 euro is a constructed figure. No source read here prints 800. Stacking a person with a caro prezzo is not one printed line: the person is Sabatini-Coletti’s, and the price wording is De Mauro’s.

✓ affittare un campo a un conoscente

RolesHide roles ThingGoal

Thing un campo a un conoscente · Goal

Sabatini-Coletti · dare frame · a = the taker · dietro pagamento is the definition, not a sum in the example

✓ affittare a qualcuno un fondo, una casa, un negozio

RolesHide roles GoalThing

a qualcuno · Goal Thing land, house, shop

Treccani sense 1 · di solito immobili · the a-phrase precedes the thing in this abbreviated line

✓ affittare una camera, un appartamento

RolesHide roles Thing

Thing una camera · un appartamento

Treccani sense 2 · lessee-subject gloss · no da · no a-person · labeled improprio

✓ affittare un appartamento a caro prezzo

RolesHide roles ThingPrice

Thing un appartamento Price a caro prezzo

De Mauro sense 1 · price wording under a · no numeral · no person in the line · this a is not the lessee

✓ la ditta mi ha noleggiato un furgone

RolesHide roles SubjectGoalThing

Subject la ditta · lessor side mi the taker Thing un furgone

Sabatini-Coletti · noleggiare · mi realizes the a-argument · no doubled a-phrase · the thing is a movable

✓ Gli affitto un appartamento.

RolesHide roles SubjectGoalThing

Subject io · lessor on this model gli the a-argument Thing un appartamento

constructed · gli is the weak form Treccani gives for a lui · modelled on printed mi and on a qualcuno · no affittare line prints gli · doubling with a Marie is unprinted

✓ Pat affitta un appartamento a Marie.

RolesHide roles SubjectThingGoal

Subject Pat · lessor on this model Thing un appartamento a Marie · Goal

constructed · the shape of the dare frame a un conoscente · the names are not a dictionary line · the a-phrase, where it is printed, is the taker

✓ affittasi appartamento · affittansi camere

RolesHide roles Thing

Thing appartamento · camere

De Mauro · announcement · number agreement with the thing · filed in the dare section · no a-person

✓ Pat affitta un appartamento a Marie a caro prezzo.

RolesHide roles SubjectGoalThingPrice

Subject Pat a Marie · Goal Thing un appartamento Price a caro prezzo

constructed · the person is the Sabatini-Coletti a-cloth · the price wording is De Mauro’s · the combination is not one dictionary line · two a-phrases, person and price

* Pat affitta Marie l’appartamento.

RolesHide roles Other partyThing

Other party Marie Thing l’appartamento

constructed · two bare objects · the printed other party is a qualcuno

* Pat affitta 800 euro l’appartamento.

RolesHide roles ThingPrice

Thing l’appartamento Price 800 euro

constructed · a bare sum beside the thing is unprinted · the printed price wording is a caro prezzo · 800 is not a source figure

✓ dare in affitto · prendere in affitto Treccani senses 1 and 2 · one lemma
✓ a qualcuno · a un conoscente Treccani · Sabatini-Coletti · Goal · dare reading
✓ [sogg-v-arg] Sabatini-Coletti · prendere · no source phrase
✓ mi ha noleggiato un furgone Sabatini-Coletti · clitic of the a-argument
✓ a caro prezzo De Mauro · price wording · no numeral
✓ affittasi appartamento · affittansi camere De Mauro · the thing is the agreeing nominal
✓ noleggiare Treccani sinonimi · the nolo sub-sense · not a page

mi, gli, si, one a-argument

The clitic and the announcement passive are operations on the same places. They do not add a participant. The printed clitic is the Goal of a dare reading. The announcement agrees with the thing.

mi realizes a. Sabatini-Coletti: la ditta mi ha noleggiato un furgone. The frame label is [sogg-v-arg-prep.arg], and the definition says a qlcu. mi is that prepositional argument. The line has the clitic and the thing. It does not print a full a-phrase beside mi. The subject is the firm that lets the van. A mi that the entry files as the owner is not in the lines read.

gli and le. Treccani’s vocabolario: gli is the weak form of the complemento di termine, a lui, proclitic or enclitic. The grammar page that was read names le as the feminine of that slot in careful writing, and records gli spreading to the feminine and to the plural. The constructed Gli affitto un appartamento puts gli on the dare frame of affittare, on the model of mi and of a qualcuno. Le affitto un appartamento is the same model with the feminine form the grammar names. Neither string is a dictionary line of affittare. Marie, if she is added as a Marie beside gli, is not in any rental line read here. Before a direct-object clitic of the thing, Treccani’s gli entry gives the fused form glie-. That cluster is unprinted on affittare and on noleggiare. It is not a further argument.

The announcement agrees with the thing and can leave the person out. affittasi appartamento, affittansi camere. Singular and plural are both printed. De Mauro files them under the dare sense, in the section of economic announcements. No a-person is in those lines. si loca and si affitta are the same shape on the locare entry. A passive that keeps a lessee-a and promotes the thing is unprinted. It is not starred. A finite essere passive is unprinted. None is constructed.

da does not appear, so it does not cancel the a-frame. The ordinary indirect object on the dare reading is a. The prendere reading, as printed, has the thing and no preposition. The grammar page’s example of da plus a person is venire da te, a strong form, on a verb of motion. It is not evidence that affittare takes da, and it is not ne. A constructed Pat affitta l’appartamento da Marie would add a phrase the entries do not print. That string is not used here.

A question for the price. It is not in the dictionary entries read. The printed price wording is already inside a caro prezzo. No per quanto is added.

Derivations · working sketches, revisable

Each sketch is a working drawing, not a locked analysis. The point of the drawing is one direct object (the thing), an a-phrase that the entries print as the lessee on the dare reading, and price wording inside a where De Mauro writes it. The subject is not fixed to the lessor. A source phrase is not in the drawing, because the entries do not print one. Open one sketch at a time. Which theta role is the object in this low domain is the revisable note Causative templates and argument selection. This page does not edit that note.

Voice · the subject is either party

Two external arguments of one lemma · the other party is not in Voice

[VoiceP il proprietario Voice     ← Lessor, Treccani sense 1 dare in affitto
  … a qualcuno … un fondo …]

[VoiceP il conduttore Voice        ← Lessee, Treccani sense 2 prendere in affitto
  … un appartamento …]             ← no source phrase in the printed frame

✓ Dare in affitto. · Prendere in affitto. Treccani · one verb · the entry gives both external arguments

On vermieten the external argument is the lessor only. On mieten it is the lessee only. English rent allows either external argument and puts the direction in to or from. English let and rent out keep the lessor. French louer and Spanish alquilar allow either external argument and print a preposition for the other party on both readings. Italian affittare allows either external argument. The preposition a is printed when the subject lets the thing.

One a-phrase on the dare reading · mi copies it

The a-phrase is the lessee when it is printed · working

[VoiceP Pat Voice                          ← Lessor, dare reading
  [ApplP [a Marie]_a  Appl                  ← Goal · mi / gli / le realize this DP
    [VP √affitt-
       [Theme un appartamento ]_ACC ]]]     ← Thing · one direct object

The tree is the dare frame. Marie is constructed. a un conoscente is the printed shape. mi in the van line is the spell-out of that argument, not a second person. The prendere frame, as printed, has no Appl phrase. Adding da there would be a phrase the entries do not contain.

✓ a un conoscente Sabatini-Coletti · one prepositional argument · the taker · no clitic in that line

* Pat affitta Marie l’appartamento. constructed · the other party is not a second direct object

Price wording · a caro prezzo has no numeral · passive si does not promote a sum

De Mauro prints price wording under a · a MeasureP is unprinted · the rate is not in the verb examples

a [ caro prezzo ]                         ← De Mauro · no numeral · not the person
dietro pagamento                          ← Sabatini-Coletti · definition prose
l’affitto                                 ← the noun is the sum · di solito a rate
per [ MeasureP … ] · 800 euro bare        ← unprinted beside the thing

✓ a caro prezzo De Mauro · one phrase · no numeral

[ announcement affittasi
    [Theme appartamento ]]
[ announcement affittansi
    [Theme camere ]]

✓ affittasi appartamento · affittansi camere De Mauro · the agreeing nominal is the thing · no price in the line

The printed price is not yet a numeral MeasureP. caro prezzo does not separate an amount from a unit. A constructed 800 euro would be that inner pair, and no source prints it. Composition of the printed cloth is a(price wording), not V(n)(U). a rate is on the noun. It is not given a second price phrase on the verb.

English, German, French, and Spanish · where the direction and the theme are written

Direction in the preposition, in the lemma, or in a periphrasis · theme usually split in Italian · working · no English rent page

[VoiceP Pat Voice                         ← Lessor
  [ApplP Marie Appl                        ← Lessee · to
    [VP √RENT [Theme the flat ]
       [PP for [ MeasureP … ]]]]]          ← rent the flat to Marie
                                           · rent the flat out
                                           · Italian: affittare … a · Goal

[VoiceP Marie Voice                        ← Lessee
  [VP √RENT [Theme the flat ]
     [PP from Pat ]]]                      ← rent the flat from Pat
                                           · Italian: prendere in affitto
                                           · da unprinted
                                           · French: louer … à · Source
                                           · German: mieten

English rent keeps both directions and writes them as to and from. That is where the best English translation’s frame diverges from affittare: the lemma matches, and the source preposition does not, because the Italian entries do not print one. English rent out and let keep the lessor. English hire names a movable beside rent for a dwelling. That gloss lines up with the usual noleggiare / affittare split, and no bilingual entry was opened to lock the English word. German prints the direction as vermieten and mieten, and prints a dwelling and a vehicle on the lessor lemma. French prints both directions and both theme types on louer, with à for either party. Spanish prints both directions and, in DLE sense 1, an urban property, an animal, or a movable, on alquilar.

Layer-by-layer parallel: English rent, Italian affittare, Italian noleggiare, French louer, Spanish alquilar, German vermieten, German mieten
Layer	rent (EN) · no page	affittare	noleggiare · no page	louer	alquilar	vermieten	mieten · no page
Spec,Voice	lessor or lessee	Lessor or Lessee · both printed	Lessee in sense 1 · Lessor in sense 2 · both printed	Lessor or Lessee	Lessor or Lessee	Lessor	Lessee
other party	to or from	a on the dare reading · mi/gli/le · Source unprinted	mi printed on the dare example · prendere frame has no preposition	à · lui · Goal or Source · de rare	a · le/les · either party	dative, or an+ACC	von+DAT expected · unprinted
object	the thing · dwelling or movable	usually a dwelling · a movable is meno com.	a movable · no immobile in the lines read	dwelling or movable · one lemma	property, animal, or movable · one lemma	dwelling or vehicle · one lemma	the property · a vehicle is also printed on the German page
Price	for · MeasureP	a caro prezzo · numeral unprinted	unprinted as a sum in the lines read	pour + MeasureP where Larousse writes the sum	por in the gloss · numeral unprinted	für · MeasureP where a sum is printed	unprinted as a sum on that page
Passive	the thing can be the subject	affittasi / affittansi agree with the thing	unprinted in the lines read	se and être + participle promote the thing	passive se promotes the thing	werden promotes the property	unopened

On the dare reading of affittare, the other person comes to have the use of the apartment, and a caro prezzo is price wording where that phrase is written. On the prendere reading, the subject is the one who takes the use, and the entries leave the source unwritten. On pagare, the direct object is the money and per is Consideration. On vendere, the direct object is the goods, the a-phrase is the buyer, and per is the Price. Same a / gli letter, different Theme, and on vendere the a-phrase is the buyer rather than the lessee of a temporary letting.

Notes

Working paper · October 2026 · Italian micro-entry · Beyond Index 2

Commercial temporary transfer in Italian: one lemma, both directions, usually a dwelling. Lessor or Lessee (Voice), the lessee on the dare reading (a, realized by mi on noleggiare and by gli / le as the third-person forms), Thing (direct-object Theme), and Price (a caro prezzo where De Mauro writes it; a numeral unprinted). A rate such as al mese is unprinted on the verb. The noun says the sum is paid a rate. A da-phrase of the lessor is unprinted. The announcement affittasi / affittansi agrees with the thing. dare in affitto and prendere in affitto name the direction. noleggiare is the usual verb of a movable. locare is the legal near-synonym.

IT micro-entry live Beyond Index 2 Rate unprinted Source da unprinted FR louer live ES alquilar live DE vermieten live

Sense × language: rent · Italian (affittare). One rental sense on this page, so no subscript. Not given a page here: noleggiare, locare, fittare, condurre. No English rent hub. Geometry neighbors: sell · vendere · pay_GIVE · pagare · rent · louer · rent · alquilar · rent · vermieten. Index 2 Italian Transfer cites scambiare, dare — not affittare.

Places
EN ⇄ IT strip
Examples
mi, gli, and si
Derivations
Hierarchy
Geometry
Open items
Corpus and sources

Working paper. Italian micro-entry. The frames were read in the Treccani vocabolario (affittare, noleggiare, locare, affitto, and the synonym entry), in De Mauro, and in Sabatini-Coletti. Those sources print a direct object of the thing, an a-phrase of the taker on the dare reading, mi on one noleggiare line, a caro prezzo with no numeral, an announcement whose verb agrees with the thing, and a usual split between a dwelling and a movable.

Constructed examples. Dictionary lines are marked as printed. Every other full clause is marked constructed. Gli affitto un appartamento and Pat affitta un appartamento a Marie are constructed on the dare frame. A bare numeral beside the thing is constructed only as a starred string. A da-phrase is unprinted and is not given a filled example.

Arity. Index 2 does not list affittare. Surface count can name a lessor, a lessee, a thing, and a price. The lexicon does not list four co-arguments of one flat V. Voice adds one party. The a-phrase, on the dare reading, adds the lessee. The root takes the thing. The printed price is price wording under a, not a numeral MeasureP. A rate is not filed as a fifth sister. A source phrase is not filed, because it is unprinted.

What this page does not do. noleggiare stays the movable lemma. locare stays the legal near-synonym. The place-verb sense of locare stays off this frame. No English page of rent is opened. No second Italian lemma is opened for the other direction.

Hierarchy

Not a flat grid of four sisters. A flat grid would give the verb two direct objects, or a price that is a second object, or a source phrase the entries do not print. affittare shows one direct object, the thing, an a-argument on the dare reading, and price wording in a caro prezzo where that phrase is written. The two directions are two readings. The prendere reading, as printed, stops at the thing.

The printed price is price wording, not a numeral MeasureP. See the price sketch. De Mauro’s a caro prezzo is the printed price phrase of the verb. It has no amount and no unit. The noun affitto is the sum. a rate sits on that noun. It is not a second price, and it is not al mese.

What Italian changes, against the English gloss, is the source: from has no printed mate, and to is a on the dare reading. What Italian changes against French is the same point: French à is ordinary for the owner and for the taker, and Italian a is printed for the taker. What Italian changes against German is the lemma and the theme: vermieten and mieten are one affittare for the direction, and a vehicle that German prints on vermieten is, in the Italian entries, the usual object of noleggiare. What the printed cloth shares with vendere is one direct-object Theme and an a-phrase realized by a dative clitic. The Theme here is the thing let for a time. The Theme there is the goods. The price letter here, where a price is written, is a. The price letter there is per.

Geometry · affittare beside the live roots

In the constructed Pat affitta un appartamento a Marie, Marie comes to have the use of the apartment, on the model of the printed dare frame. The price wording measures that letting where a caro prezzo is written. It is not the object that is transferred. A clause with only the apartment does not, by a preposition, say whether Pat lets it or takes it.

English rent. One verb. The subject is the lessor with to, or the lessee with from. The lemma is the translation that keeps both directions. The source preposition is where the frame diverges. No English page is opened.
English rent out and let. Lessor as subject. The lessee is not the subject. They match the dare reading and do not match Treccani sense 2. No page is opened.
English hire. The movable-side gloss beside rent for a dwelling. It lines up with the usual theme split. No bilingual entry was read. No page is opened.
vermieten. The lessor is the subject. The lessee is a dative or an. The printed things include a dwelling and a vehicle. The other direction is mieten. von of the lessor on mieten is unprinted there. Italian prints the taker as a, and does not print a source on the prendere reading.
louer. Both directions on one lemma. The ordinary other party is à on both readings. de of the owner is rare. A dwelling and a machine are both objects of louer. lui is the clitic, without the doubling Spanish prints.
alquilar. Both directions on one lemma. The cited a-phrase does not choose the party. DLE sense 1 names an urban property, an animal, or a movable. arrendar is the formal near-synonym and is not a page.
vendere. The buyer is gli / a, the goods are the direct object, and per is the Price. This page uses the same a / clitic letter on the dare reading and does not give affittare that buyer.
pagare. The direct object is the money. per is Consideration. On affittare the direct object is the thing, and the printed price wording is a caro prezzo.
Neighbouring material. dare in affitto and prendere in affitto, with a nolo and in locazione, are the periphrases. noleggiare and locare are noted above. The place-verb sense of locare is another event. No frame of this transfer is taken from it.

Open items

improprio. Treccani labels the prendere reading frequent and improper. De Mauro and Sabatini-Coletti print that reading without the label. The shared fact is that both directions are entered. Whether the label is a frame restriction stays open.
da of the lessor. Unprinted in Treccani, in De Mauro, and in Sabatini-Coletti. Not constructed as a filled frame. The prendere frame symbol has no prepositional argument.
ne. Unprinted on affittare and on noleggiare. The grammar page that was read keeps da te as a strong form on venire. A clitic of an unprinted source is not given a judgment.
gli / le on affittare. The printed clitic is mi on noleggiare. gli is the vocabolario’s weak form for a lui. The constructed third-person line does not add a context beyond the dare frame it is modelled on.
Doubling the clitic and a. Unprinted on these verbs in the lines read. Not filed as a requirement, and not starred.
A numeral MeasureP. Unprinted. a caro prezzo has no amount and no unit. per plus a sum is unprinted. The starred 800 euro line is constructed. 800 is not a figure from the sources.
al mese and other rates. Unprinted on the verb. The noun has a rate. Argument versus adjunct is not ranked here.
Person and price in one clause. Each a-phrase is printed in a separate line. The stacked constructed line is not a dictionary line. The two complements, a person and price wording, are what keep the two a-phrases apart.
Direction of affittasi. De Mauro files the announcement under the dare section. The thing-agreement is printed. A prendere reading of the same shape is unprinted.
essere passive. The participle is printed as an adjective, già affittato, glossed as given or held on rent. A finite essere clause is unprinted. Not constructed.
Passive of the a-party. Unprinted. Not starred. Agreement with the thing is printed.
How sharp the theme split is. spec. and di solito and meno com. are the dictionaries’ own hedges. affittare una barca and affittare un’auto are printed. No noleggiare line has an immobile. A grammar that treats the split as absolute would go past these hedges.
Garzanti and 501 Italian Verbs. Garzanti Linguistica was opened and the article text did not load without a login. No chart in 501 Italian Verbs was opened. No frame is taken from either.

Corpus filenames and sources checked

Dictionary frames: Treccani vocabolario affittare, noleggiare, locare, affitto, and the Sinonimi e Contrari entry affittare. De Mauro, on the Internazionale site, affittare, noleggiare, locare, affitto, and nolo. Sabatini-Coletti, on Corriere.it, affittare and noleggiare. The Corriere path for locare returned no article. The clitic gli is Treccani’s vocabolario entry for the weak complemento di termine. The feminine le, and the strong form of a complement that is not the direct object or the complemento di termine, were read in Treccani, La grammatica italiana (2012), pronomi personali. Constructed clauses fill the dare frame with Marie and un appartamento, or they put gli on that frame. Index 2 does not list affittare. Italian Transfer in Index 2 is scambiare, dare. Garzanti Linguistica was opened and served no article text. No chart in 501 Italian Verbs was opened.

Treccani · affittare treccani.it/vocabolario/affittare · sense 1 dare in affitto · a qualcuno · di solito immobili · meno com. una carrozza, una barca · sense 2 prendere in affitto · improprio · participle affittato
Treccani · noleggiare treccani.it/vocabolario/noleggiare · sense 1 prendere a nolo · boats, then a car, a bicycle, goods · sense 2 una ditta che noleggia autovetture
Treccani · locare treccani.it/vocabolario/locare · rental sense dare in affitto · un appartamento, un negozio · sign si loca · the place-verb is another sense
Treccani · affitto treccani.it/vocabolario/affitto · dare, prendere in affitto un appartamento · the sum di solito a rate · nolo of boats and carriages meno proprio
Treccani · Sinonimi e Contrari · affittare Sinonimi e Contrari · con la prep. a del secondo arg. · nolo bracket ≈ noleggiare · prendere ≈ condurre
De Mauro · affittare dizionario.internazionale.it · affittare · spec. immobili · a caro prezzo · affittasi appartamento · affittansi camere · una barca · un’auto
De Mauro · noleggiare dizionario.internazionale.it · noleggiare · prendere una barca, una motocicletta, uno smoking, un computer · dare autovetture, costumi da carnevale
De Mauro · locare · affitto · nolo locare · affitto · nolo · si loca, locasi, si affitta, si dà in affitto · prendere reading of locare marked BU · prendere, dare a nolo
Sabatini-Coletti · affittare Corriere · Sabatini Coletti · affittare · [sogg-v-arg-prep.arg] a un conoscente · a un amico · [sogg-v-arg] una villa · un aereo · dietro pagamento
Sabatini-Coletti · noleggiare Corriere · Sabatini Coletti · noleggiare · prendere un’auto · la ditta mi ha noleggiato un furgone · qui noleggiano biciclette
Treccani · gli vocabolario · gli · weak form · complemento di termine · a lui · the general cloth · not an affittare example
Treccani · pronomi personali La grammatica italiana (2012) · le feminine complemento di termine in careful writing · gli spreading · another indirect complement takes the strong form · venire da te
Garzanti Linguistica opened · article text not served without a login · no frame cited
Barron’s 501 Italian Verbs not opened · no frame cited

Records both directions on affittare, the direct object of the thing, and the a-phrase that the entries use for the taker on the dare reading. Records the absence of a printed da-phrase on the prendere reading. Records a caro prezzo as De Mauro’s price wording, with no numeral. Records mi as the clitic of the a-argument on noleggiare. Records the usual theme split against noleggiare. Does not open noleggiare or locare.