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apposta

on purpose, deliberately

adverb ahp-POH-stah Rare

Origin: From 'a posta' — 'a' (to/for) + 'posta' (post, purpose), meaning 'placed/set for a purpose'.

Usage Note

Apposta is the everyday Italian word for 'on purpose' and is fully interchangeable with di proposito in most contexts — though apposta is more colloquial. It always follows the verb: l'ho fatto apposta (I did it on purpose). In Southern Italian dialects it can also mean 'just right, perfectly suited', but this is regional.

Examples

"Non l'ho rotto apposta."

Natural Translation

I didn't break it on purpose.

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