Italian Phrase
Guarda il graffio per terra.
Meaning
The sentence tells someone to look at a scratch that is lying on the ground or floor. It is often used when pointing out damage in a house, a car, or any surface that can be inspected.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to draw another person’s attention to a visible mark, especially if you need them to assess it, clean it, or decide what to do about it.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Guardailgraffioperterra
Imperative (second person singular)
‘Guarda’ is the informal command form of ‘guardare’, used to tell someone ‘look’ or ‘watch’.
Definite article ‘il’
‘Il’ is the masculine singular definite article that matches the noun ‘graffio’.
Noun gender
‘Graffio’ (scratch) is masculine, so it takes ‘il’ and the adjective ‘piccolo’ would become ‘piccolo’.
Preposition ‘per’
‘Per’ can mean ‘on’ or ‘to’ in spatial expressions; here it works like ‘on the ground’.
Noun ‘terra’
‘Terra’ means ‘ground’ or ‘floor’; together with ‘per’ it forms the location phrase ‘per terra’.
🗨In Conversation
Guarda il graffio per terra.
Look at the scratch on the floor.
Sì, è proprio evidente. Dobbiamo sistemarlo subito.
Yes, it’s really obvious. We need to fix it right away.
✕Common Mistakes
Guarda il graffio a terra.
The preposition ‘per’ is correct here; learners often replace it with ‘a’, which changes the meaning.
Guarda la graffio per terra.
‘Graffio’ is masculine, so the article must be ‘il’, not ‘la’.
Guardare il graffio per terra.
Using the infinitive ‘guardare’ instead of the imperative makes the sentence a request rather than a command.
↔Alternatives
Guarda il graffio sul pavimento.
Look at the scratch on the floor.
Vedi il graffio per terra?
Do you see the scratch on the ground?
Fai caso al graffio sul pavimento.
Take note of the scratch on the floor.
Cultural Tip
In Italian the imperative can sound abrupt, so it’s common to add ‘per favore’ (please) or soften it with a question: ‘Guarda il graffio, per favore?’ Also, ‘per terra’ is more colloquial, while ‘sul pavimento’ sounds a bit more formal or technical.