Magari sapessimo usare meglio lo slancio!

to use

Breakdown of Magari sapessimo usare meglio lo slancio!

• meglio: better
• magari: maybe
• sapere: to know how to

Questions & Answers about Magari sapessimo usare meglio lo slancio!

What does magari mean in this sentence?

Here magari means if only, I wish, or would that. It introduces a wish.

So Magari sapessimo... is not Maybe we know... It is more like If only we knew...

In other contexts, magari can mean maybe:

• Magari viene più tardi = Maybe he’ll come later

But with the subjunctive, it often expresses a wish:

• Magari fossi in vacanza! = If only I were on vacation!

Why is the verb sapessimo used here?

Sapessimo is the imperfetto congiuntivo of sapere.

It is used because magari commonly takes the subjunctive when you are expressing a wish. In this sentence, the speaker is wishing for something that is not currently the case.

So:

• sappiamo = we know
• sapessimo = if only we knew

The idea is not a plain statement of fact. It is a hopeful or regretful wish.

What person does sapessimo refer to?

It is first person plural: we.

So sapessimo means we knew or, in this structure, if only we knew.

The ending -ssimo tells you it is we.

Why isn’t written?