Italian Phrase
Marina il tofu prima di cuocerlo.
Meaning
The sentence tells someone to marinate the tofu before cooking it. It emphasizes the step of flavoring the tofu in advance, which is especially important because tofu absorbs seasonings well when given time to rest.
When to use
Use this command when you’re giving cooking instructions, either in a recipe, a cooking class, or a casual conversation about preparing a vegan or vegetarian dish.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Marinailtofuprimadicuocerlo
Imperative (tu) – Marina
‘Marina’ is the second‑person singular imperative of the verb *marinare* (to marinate). It’s a command directed at ‘you’.
Definite article – il
‘il’ is the masculine singular definite article, used here because *tofu* is treated as a masculine noun in Italian.
Noun gender – tofu
*Tofu* is borrowed from Japanese and is masculine in Italian, so it takes ‘il’ and agrees with masculine adjectives.
Prepositional phrase – prima di
‘prima di’ means ‘before’ and is followed by an infinitive verb to express a prior action.
Infinitive with clitic pronoun – cuocerlo
‘cuocerlo’ = *cuocere* (to cook) + clitic pronoun *lo* (it). With infinitives the pronoun is attached to the end of the verb.
🗨In Conversation
Marina il tofu prima di cuocerlo, così avrà più sapore.
Marinate the tofu before cooking it, so it will have more flavor.
Buona idea! Lo lascerò in marinata per mezz'ora.
Good idea! I’ll leave it in the marinade for half an hour.
✕Common Mistakes
Marinare il tofu prima di cuocerlo.
Using the infinitive *marinare* here would turn the sentence into a suggestion, not a command.
Marina il tofu prima di cuocere.
When the object is already mentioned, you need the clitic pronoun *lo* attached to the infinitive.
Marina la tofu prima di cuocerlo.
If you treat *tofu* as feminine (*la tofu*), the article will be wrong; *tofu* is masculine.
↔Alternatives
Fai marinare il tofu prima di cuocerlo.
Let the tofu marinate before you cook it.
Lascia il tofu in marinata prima di cuocerlo.
Leave the tofu in the marinade before cooking it.
Marina il tofu, poi cuocilo.
Marinate the tofu, then cook it.
Cultural Tip
Tofu isn’t a staple of traditional Italian cuisine, but it’s increasingly popular in vegetarian and vegan dishes, especially in urban areas. Because tofu has a mild taste, marinating it with olive oil, lemon, herbs, or soy sauce helps it blend with classic Italian flavors like rosemary, garlic, and tomato.