Our focus for this week’s lesson is on the indirect interrogative subordinate conjunction se. As we explained last week, subordinate conjunctions connect two clauses and shed light on the logical relationship existing between the main clause and the subordinate clause.
Se, which translates to the English whether (or if, in informal writing and speech), is used to introduce a subordinate clause triggered by a verb in the main clause that expresses (or implies) doubt, choice or uncertainty, as follows:
In the example above, the verb sapere, preceded by the negative adverb non, implies a lack of information; the speaker is unsure of whether all of the students have done their homework, and this is conveyed with the help of se.
When acting as an interrogative conjunction, se introduces indirect interrogative clauses to express doubt that is sometimes rhetorical. This normally happens with clauses expressed with an emphatic or sarcastic connotation:
Se, which translates to the English whether (or if, in informal writing and speech), is used to introduce a subordinate clause triggered by a verb in the main clause that expresses (or implies) doubt, choice or uncertainty, as follows:
| Non so se tutti gli studenti hanno fatto il compito. I don’t know whether/if all the students did their homework. |
In the example above, the verb sapere, preceded by the negative adverb non, implies a lack of information; the speaker is unsure of whether all of the students have done their homework, and this is conveyed with the help of se.
When acting as an interrogative conjunction, se introduces indirect interrogative clauses to express doubt that is sometimes rhetorical. This normally happens with clauses expressed with an emphatic or sarcastic connotation:
| Lo so io se mi è costato fatica convincerla! Do I know if it took me a lot of effort to persuade her! |