A very common sentence construction in the Italian language is the two-clause Hypothetical Phrase, which--as the name suggests--is used to express a hypothetical event. Both the imperfect subjunctive and the present conditional work together to form this phrase in Italian. Though, at first, forming a hypothetical phrase may seem just a tad bit tricky, we will provide you with tips and tricks that will make this endeavor quite feasible!
Firstly, the “If-clause” is key to forming a complete hypothetical sentence. It is important to remember that the verb that is in the same clause as “if” (“se”) is the verb that should be in the imperfect subjunctive tense:
If-clause:
The clause that then follows should be the one containing the verb in the conditional tense:
And now for the complete sentence:
As we can see, the clauses are separated by a comma. The order of the clauses can also be switched up and form a grammatically sound sentence:
As with any tense, the conjugated verb is in agreement with the subject it responds to. Sometimes, each clause has its own subject, as shown in the example above, but sometimes both clauses share a subject:
In the coming lectures, we will delve deeper into the different types of hypothetical statements that exist in Italian; for now, we will simply practice how to create a hypothetical statement using the imperfect subjunctive and the conditional tenses.
Firstly, the “If-clause” is key to forming a complete hypothetical sentence. It is important to remember that the verb that is in the same clause as “if” (“se”) is the verb that should be in the imperfect subjunctive tense:
If-clause:
| Se il razzismo sparisse completamente….. |
The clause that then follows should be the one containing the verb in the conditional tense:
| …..il mondo sarebbe un posto migliore. |
And now for the complete sentence:
| Se il razzismo sparisse completamente, il mondo sarebbe un posto migliore. If racism completely disappeared, the world would be a better place. |
As we can see, the clauses are separated by a comma. The order of the clauses can also be switched up and form a grammatically sound sentence:
| Il mondo sarebbe un posto migliore, se il razzismo sparisse completamente. The world would be a better place, if racism completely disappeared. |
As with any tense, the conjugated verb is in agreement with the subject it responds to. Sometimes, each clause has its own subject, as shown in the example above, but sometimes both clauses share a subject:
| (Io) Sarei più contento, se (io) fossi più alto! I’d be happier if I was taller! |
In the coming lectures, we will delve deeper into the different types of hypothetical statements that exist in Italian; for now, we will simply practice how to create a hypothetical statement using the imperfect subjunctive and the conditional tenses.