Italian · Upper intermediate (B2) · Chapter 5 of 12
Society and the environment
L'ambiente e noi
Discuss problems and solutions in Italian: every kind of if-clause, including mixed ones, the congiuntivo trapassato, and expressing concern.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Use all types of if-clause, including mixed ones
- Form the congiuntivo trapassato
- Express concern with temo che and mi preoccupa che
- Talk about the environment and what should change
Listen
In a village near Ravenna, the retired farmer Ivano Casadei talks to his neighbour Sabrina Gardini, a teacher, after a night of heavy rain. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Sabrina
Buongiorno, signor Casadei. Ha visto quanta pioggia questa notte? Io non ho dormito per niente.
Good morning, Mr Casadei. Did you see how much rain there was last night? I didn't sleep at all.
Ivano
Buongiorno, signora. Neanch'io. Ogni volta che piove così, temo che il fiume esca di nuovo dagli argini, come nel 2023.
Good morning. Neither did I. Every time it rains like this, I'm afraid the river will burst its banks again, like in 2023.
Sabrina
Anch'io. Quella volta, se non ci fossero stati i volontari, non avremmo mai tolto tutto quel fango dalle case.
Me too. That time, if the volunteers hadn't been there, we'd never have got all that mud out of the houses.
Ivano
Erano ragazzi fantastici. Però mi preoccupa che da allora sia cambiato così poco. Il fosso dietro casa mia non l'ha pulito nessuno.
They were fantastic young people. But it worries me that so little has changed since then. Nobody has cleaned the ditch behind my house.
Sabrina
Ha ragione. Se avessero fatto la manutenzione dei fossi e dei fiumi, oggi non avremmo tutta questa paura.
You're right. If they had maintained the ditches and the rivers, we wouldn't be so afraid today.
Ivano
Io ho fatto il contadino per cinquant'anni. Una volta i fossi li pulivamo noi, ogni autunno. Se me lo chiedevano, glielo spiegavo io come si fa.
I was a farmer for fifty years. We used to clean the ditches ourselves, every autumn. If they'd asked me, I'd have explained to them how it's done.
Sabrina
E poi c'è il clima. Piove meno di una volta, ma quando piove, piove tutto in poche ore. E d'estate c'è la siccità.
And then there's the climate. It rains less than it used to, but when it rains, it all comes down in a few hours. And in summer there's drought.
Ivano
È vero. Se continua così, un giorno qui non si potrà più lavorare la terra.
That's true. If it goes on like this, one day it won't be possible to farm the land here any more.
Sabrina
Secondo me, se tutti sprecassimo meno acqua e si investisse di più nella prevenzione, qualcosa cambierebbe.
I think if we all wasted less water, and more was invested in prevention, something would change.
Ivano
Magari! Se avessi vent'anni di meno, sarei andato anch'io all'incontro di ieri sera sul fiume.
If only. If I were twenty years younger, I'd have gone to last night's meeting about the river too.
Sabrina
Ci sono andata io. Hanno detto che l'anno prossimo alzeranno gli argini. Se vuole, la prossima volta ci andiamo insieme.
I went. They said they'll raise the banks next year. If you like, we'll go together next time.
Ivano
Volentieri. E se questa notte piove ancora, mi chiami, anche tardi: tanto io la notte dormo poco.
I'd like that. And if it rains again tonight, call me, even if it's late: I hardly sleep at night anyway.
Understand
Every kind of if
You now know three kinds of sentence. Real: + present, for things that can really happen. Possible: + congiuntivo imperfetto + condizionale presente, for things that are imaginary or unlikely now. Unreal past: + congiuntivo trapassato + condizionale passato, for a past that can't be changed any more.
The two halves can also mix times. A past condition can have a result now: (If they'd cleaned the ditches, we wouldn't be afraid today). A condition that is still true can have a result in the past: (If I were twenty years younger, I'd have gone to the meeting).
| Type | … | Result | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| real | present | present, future, imperative | |
| possible | congiuntivo imperfetto | condizionale presente | |
| unreal past | congiuntivo trapassato | condizionale passato | |
| mixed | congiuntivo trapassato | condizionale presente | |
| mixed | congiuntivo imperfetto | condizionale passato |
The congiuntivo trapassato
The is the congiuntivo imperfetto of or + the past participle: , . Choose or as in the passato prossimo; with , the participle agrees.
Use it for the unreal past after , and after a verb in the past for something that had happened before: (I thought they'd already left). In relaxed speech you'll also hear the imperfetto in both halves: (If they'd asked me, I'd have explained it). Understand it, but don't write it.
| Person | ||
|---|---|---|
| / | ||
| / | ||
| / / | / | |
| / | ||
| / | ||
| / |
Expressing concern
Like , the verbs (to fear) and (to worry) are followed by the congiuntivo when someone or something else is involved: , (It worries me that so little has changed).
With the same subject, use + infinitive: (I'm afraid I won't get there in time). and mean “I'm afraid so” and “I'm afraid not”.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| … | I'm afraid that… |
| … | It worries me that… |
| / … | I'm worried about… |
| … | The problem is that… |
| … | We ought to…, Something should be done to… |
More in the grammar: If-clauses: se + present, se + congiuntivo imperfetto · The congiuntivo: the Italian subjunctive · The sequence of tenses: la concordanza dei tempi
New words
- il fiumeriver
- temereto fear, to be afraid
- l'arginebank (of a river), embankment · masculine; = to burst its banks
- il volontario / la volontariavolunteer
- togliereto remove, to take off · irregular: ,
- il fangomud
- preoccupareto worry · = it worries me that
- il fossoditch
- la manutenzionemaintenance · = to maintain
- il contadino / la contadinafarmer
- la siccitàdrought
- sprecareto waste
- investireto invest · = (if) more was invested
- l'incontromeeting · masculine; from
Practise
1.Which sentence is about a past that can't be changed?
2.Complete with the congiuntivo trapassato of (loro).
If they had maintained things, we wouldn't be so afraid today.
3.Complete with the condizionale passato of (io, a man).
If I were twenty years younger, I'd have gone to the meeting.
4.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.I'm afraid the river will burst its banks.
5.Ivano says What is this?
6.Match the Italian with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Se avessi saputo, sarei venuta ad aiutare.
If I'd known, I'd have come to help. (said by a woman)
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.