Italian Phrase
Di solito indica un guasto hardware.
Meaning
The sentence tells the listener that, in most cases, the observed symptom or error points to a hardware malfunction. It is a concise way to diagnose a technical problem without going into details.
When to use
Use this phrase when you are explaining the cause of a computer or electronic device’s abnormal behavior, especially in a technical support or troubleshooting conversation.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Disolitoindicaunguastohardware
Di solito
An adverbial phrase meaning 'usually' or 'as a rule', placed at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis.
indica
Third‑person singular present of the verb 'indicare' (to indicate, to point out).
un
Indefinite article for masculine singular nouns.
guasto
Masculine noun meaning 'failure' or 'breakdown', often used for technical problems.
hardware
Loanword from English referring to the physical components of a computer; used as an invariable noun in Italian.
🗨In Conversation
Il mio laptop si spegne improvvisamente ogni volta che apro un programma.
My laptop shuts down suddenly every time I open a program.
Di solito indica un guasto hardware.
That usually indicates a hardware failure.
✕Common Mistakes
Di solito indica un guasto di hardware.
The preposition 'di' is unnecessary; 'guasto hardware' works as a compound noun.
Di solito indica un hardware guasto.
The adjective should follow the noun; 'guasto hardware' is the idiomatic order.
Di solito indica guasto hardware.
If you want a more formal tone, replace 'un' with 'un' only when the context requires an indefinite article; in technical reports the article is often omitted.
↔Alternatives
Di solito segnala un malfunzionamento hardware.
It usually signals a hardware malfunction.
Di norma è dovuto a un problema hardware.
Normally it is due to a hardware problem.
Solitamente è un guasto hardware.
Usually it is a hardware fault.
Cultural Tip
In Italian tech circles, the English word 'hardware' is widely accepted and kept unchanged, unlike many other English loanwords that are Italianized. When speaking formally (e.g., in a written report), you may also see the phrase 'guasto hardware' written as 'guasto hardware' without an article, but in everyday speech the article 'un' is common. Avoid mixing the English plural 'hardware' with Italian plural endings; the word stays singular.