Stanotte il cuscino era troppo morbido, e non riuscivo a dormire bene.

to sleep

Breakdown of Stanotte il cuscino era troppo morbido, e non riuscivo a dormire bene.

• essere: to be
• e: and
• non: not
• bene: well
• la notte: the night
• il cuscino: the pillow
• troppo: too
• morbido: soft
• riuscire: to be able to

Questions & Answers about Stanotte il cuscino era troppo morbido, e non riuscivo a dormire bene.

Why is Stanotte used here, and can it mean both "last night" and "tonight"?

In Italian, Stanotte can refer either to the night that just passed or to the upcoming night, depending on context. If you’ve already slept, it usually means "last night." If you’re talking about a night that hasn’t happened yet, it means "tonight." In this sentence, it’s clear from context that it refers to the previous night.

What does era (from the verb essere) indicate as opposed to other past tenses like è stato?

Era is in the imperfect tense, used to describe a characteristic or condition that lasted for some time in the past. È stato would imply a completed action or event. Here, the emphasis is on the ongoing state of the pillow being too soft throughout the night, so the imperfect tense era is appropriate.

What is the difference between troppo morbido and just saying morbido?

Troppo means "too" or "excessively." Morbido simply means "soft." By adding troppo, you’re emphasizing that the pillow was so soft that it caused discomfort or made sleeping difficult.

Why do we use non riuscivo instead of non potevo to express that I couldn't sleep well?

Non riuscivo (from riuscire) focuses on the idea of actually being unable to achieve something, rather than just expressing a lack of ability. If you said non potevo, it might sound more general, like you were physically or legally unable. Non riuscivo highlights that you tried but couldn’t succeed in sleeping well.

Why do we say dormire bene and not something like dormire buono?

When describing how you sleep, you use an adverb because you’re referring to how the action of sleeping is performed. Bene is an adverb meaning "well," whereas buono is an adjective meaning "good," which would not be correct in this context.