Quando finalmente ho finito di lavorare, preferirei stare a casa e guardare un film.

to have

Breakdown of Quando finalmente ho finito di lavorare, preferirei stare a casa e guardare un film.

• di: of
• e: and
• quando: when
• guardare: to watch
• a: at
• la casa: the home
• preferire: to prefer
• lavorare: to work
• finalmente: finally
• finire: to finish
• stare: to stay
• il film: the film

Questions & Answers about Quando finalmente ho finito di lavorare, preferirei stare a casa e guardare un film.

What is the function of finalmente in this sentence, and what does its placement tell us about the timing of the action?

Finalmente means finally and emphasizes that finishing work occurred after some delay or anticipation. Its placement before ho finito di lavorare underscores that the completion of work is a relieving or much-awaited event, setting the stage for the speaker’s subsequent preferred activity.

Why is the verb finire conjugated as ho finito instead of using a different tense?

Ho finito is in the passato prossimo, which is commonly used in Italian to indicate a completed action in the recent past. In this context, it shows that work has already been finished, thus creating the condition for the speaker’s desire to relax afterwards.

What is the purpose of the structure finito di lavorare? Why is the preposition di necessary?

The phrase finito di lavorare combines the past participle finito with the preposition di followed by the infinitive lavorare to explain what has been completed. In Italian, many verbs, including finire, require di before an infinitive to correctly link the completed action (finishing) with the activity (working).

What does preferirei mean in this context, and why is the conditional tense used here?

Preferirei translates as I would prefer. The conditional tense is used to express a wish or a hypothetical preference. It indicates that, now that work is done, the speaker’s ideal choice would be to stay at home and watch a film, conveying a sense of desire rather than a firm, immediate decision.

How are the verbs stare and guardare coordinated in this sentence, and why are they both in the infinitive form?

After preferirei, the actions stare a casa and guardare un film are expressed in the infinitive to indicate what the speaker would prefer to do. In Italian, when expressing a preference or intention following a modal or conditional verb, it’s common to maintain the verbs in the infinitive form. The conjunction e neatly connects the two choices without needing any additional auxiliary verbs.

What is the difference between using preferirei (conditional) and preferisco (present tense) when expressing preferences in Italian?

Using preferirei (conditional) implies a hypothetical or polite expression of preference and often suggests that the desire is contingent upon a certain condition—in this case, finishing work. On the other hand, preferisco (present tense) states a clear, definitive preference without any implied conditions or tentativeness. The conditional form softens the statement and makes it sound less direct or demanding.