Term
Il modo indicativo e il modo congiuntivo
- The mood of a verb expresses how the speaker perceives the events and circumstances being described.
- The indicative mood expresses certainty and objective reality in the present, the past, and the future.
- The subjunctive mood, in contrast, expresses uncertainty, possibility, subjectivity, or feelings about the events and circumstances described.
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Definition
Il modo indicativo e il modo congiuntivo
Ex:
Oggi in Italia ci sono 2.193.000 immigrati.
- Today in Italy there are 2,193,000 immigrants.
Credo che oggi ci siano 2.193.000 immigrati in Italia.
- I believe that today there are 2,193,000 immigrants in Italy.
Domani discuteranno la legge sull'asilo politico.
- Tomorrow they will discuss the political asylum law.
É possibile che domani discutano la legge sull'asilo politico.
- It's possible that tomorrow they will discuss the political asylum law. |
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Il modo indicativo e il modo congiuntivo
Ex:
Molti stranieri si sono trasferiti in Lombardia.
- Many foreigners have moved to the Lombardy region.
Penso che molti immigrati si siano trasferiti in Lombardia.
- I think many immigrants moved to the Lombardy region. |
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Definition
Il modo indicativo e il modo congiuntivo
Ex:
Quest'estate molti profughi sono arrivati a Lampedusa.
- This summer many refugees arrived in Lampedusa.
Temo che molti clandestini siano arrivati in Sicilia.
- I fear that many illegal aliens arrived in Sicily.
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Term
Il congiuntivo presente
- The subjunctive mood has four tenses: the present, the past, the imperfect, and the past perfect.
- This chapter will review the present and past subjunctive.
- The imperfect and past perfect subjunctive will be reviewed in Chapter 6.
- The present subjunctive is used in dependent clauses to describe present and future events and circumstances. |
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Definition
Il congiuntivo presente
Ex:
Penso che oggi in Italia ci siano molti extracomunitari.
- I think that today in Italy there are many people from non-EU countries.
Dubito che in futuro le leggi cambino.
- I doubt the laws will change in the future. |
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Term
Il congiuntivo presente:
A. Il congiuntivo presente dei verbi regolari
- The present subjunctive of regular verbs is formed by adding the appropriate endings to the verb stem.
- Third-conjugation verbs that add -isc in the present indicative also add it in the present subjunctive.
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Il congiuntivo presente:
A. Il congiuntivo presente dei verbi regolari
1. In all three conjugations, the first-, second-, and third-person singular forms are identical. The first- and second-person plural end in -iamo and -iate, respectively, in all conjugations.
2. The present subjunctive of verbs that end in -care, -gare, -ciare, -giare, -gliare, and -iare follow the same pattern as in the present indicative. Verbs that end in -care and -gare add an -h to maintain the hard guttural sound in all persons. Verbs in -ciare, -giare, and -gliare drop the -i of the stem ending before adding the subjunctive endings. Verbs that end in -iare drop the -i of the stem before adding the subjunctive endings unless the -i is stressed in the first-person singular of the present indicative. The -i is always dropped in the first- and second-person plural forms of these verbs.
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Il congiuntivo presente:
B. Il congiuntivo presente dei verbi irregolari
Verbs that are irregular in the present indicative are also irregular in the present subjunctive.
1. Some irregular verbs use the first-person singular of the present indicative as the subjunctive verb stem, followed by the -ere/-ire endings.
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Il congiuntivo presente:
B. Il congiuntivo presente dei verbi irregolari
Verbs that are irregular in the present indicative are also irregular in the present subjunctive.
2. Some verbs use the first-person present indicative stem only in the first-, second-, and third-person singular and in the third-person plural. The first- and second-person plural are regular.
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Il congiuntivo presente:
B. Il congiuntivo presente dei verbi irregolari
Verbs that are irregular in the present indicative are also irregular in the present subjunctive.
3. The stems of some very common irregular verbs are derived from the first-person plural of the indicative.
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Il congiuntivo presente:
C. L'uso del congiuntivo
The subjunctive is used primarily in dependent clauses introduced by che. The verb or verb phrase in the main clause determines whether or not the subjunctive is used in the dependent clause.
1. Verbs that convey emotion, opinion, desire, hope, or belief take the subjunctive in dependent clauses.
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Definition
Ex:
Vogliamo che loro lo facciamo.
- We want them to do it.
Mi dispiace che loro non vengono.
- I'm sorry they aren't coming.
Speri che loro ti diano i documenti?
- Do you hope they give you their documents?
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Term
Il congiuntivo presente:
C. L'uso del congiuntivo
The subjunctive is used primarily in dependent clauses introduced by che. The verb or verb phrase in the main clause determines whether or not the subjunctive is used in the dependent clause.
2. Impersonal expressions that express necessity, doubt, probability, possibility, or emotion take the subjunctive in dependent clauses.
Ex:
Non sembra che loro siano clandestini.
- It doesn't seem that they are illegal aliens.
É strano che loro non parlino italiano.
- It's strange that they don't speak Italian.
Bisogna che il governo controlli meglio le frontiere.
- It's necessary that the government control its borders better.
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Il congiuntivo presente:
Piú Informazione
1. In colloquial Italian, the future tense is frequently used instead of the subjunctive if the action is to take place in the future.
Penso che il eliminino domani.
Penso che li elimineranno domani.
- I think they will eliminate them tomorrow.
However, with verbs that indicate desires, such as volere and desiderare, the subjunctive is required.
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Definition
Il congiuntivo presente:
Piú Informazione
2. The expression non sapere is frequently followed by se rather than che. Se is also used with the infinitive when the subjects of the two clauses are the same.
Non so se lui capisca l'italiano.
- I don't know if he understands Italian.
Non so se studiare il cinese o l'inglese.
- I don't know if I should study Chinese or English.
3. The indicative is used after impersonal expressions that indicate certainty.
É chiaro che hanno bisogno del nostro aiuto.
- It is clear they need our help.
É vero che molti sono stati torturati nel loro Paese.
- It is true that many were tortured in their country.
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Il congiuntivo passato
- The past subjunctive is used to indicate past actions and events.
- It is used in dependent clauses when the verb in the main clause is in the present, the future, or the imperative.
Credo che loro abbiano sofferto molto nel loro Paese.
- I believe they suffered a great deal in their country.
- The past subjunctive is formed with the present subjunctive of avere or essere + the past participle of the verb.
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Il congiuntivo vs. l'infinito
- The subjunctive is used in dependent clauses only when the subjects of the main clause and the dependent clause are different.
- If the subjects are the same, the infinitive is used.
Io voglio che loro partano.
- I want them to leave.
Voglio partire.
-I want to leave.
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Definition
Il congiuntivo vs. l'infinito
1. With verbs and expressions that indicate fear or emotion, when the subjects of the main clause and dependent clause are the same, the infinitive is used with the preposition di.
(Noi) temiamo che loro non guadagnino molto.
- We fear that they don't earn very much.
Temiamo di non guadagnare molto.
- We fear that we won't earn much.
Sono felice che loro siano partiti.
- I'm happy they left.
Sono felice di essere partita.
- I'm happy to have left.
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Il congiuntivo vs. l'infinito
2. The preposition di is also used before the infinitive with verbs and expressions that indicate opinion, belief, doubt, uncertainty, or supposition, when the subjects of the main clause and dependent clause are the same.
Io dubito che lei abbia capito.
- I doubt she understood.
Dubito di avere capito.
- I doubt that I understood.
Crede che loro abbiano un alto tenore di vita.
- She thinks they have a high standard of living.
Crede di avere un alto tenore di vita.
- She thinks she has a high standard of living.
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Definition
Il congiuntivo vs. l'infinito
3. The infinitive (without a preposition) is also used with impersonal expressions when there is no explicit subject.
Bisogna che il governo elimini gli ostacoli.
- It's necessary that the government eliminate obstacles.
Bisogna eliminare gli ostacoli.
- It's important that obstacles be eliminated.
É possibile che le aziende migliorino le condizioni di lavoro.
- It's possible that the companies will improve work conditions.
É possibile migliorare le condizioni di lavoro.
- It's possible to improve work conditions.
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