Questions & Answers about Devo chiamare un idraulico.
What does devo mean in this sentence?
Why is the verb chiamare in its infinitive form, and how does this construction work in Italian?
Italian uses modal verbs like dovere followed by the infinitive form of another verb. Here, chiamare means "to call." This construction is similar to English, where a modal verb is followed by a base form (e.g., "I must call"). Thus, "devo chiamare" effectively means "I must/need to call."
What does un idraulico mean, and is this term gender-specific?
Un idraulico means "a plumber." The article un is the masculine singular indefinite article, and idraulico is a masculine noun referring to a plumber. While Italian does have gendered nouns, in many cases the masculine form is used by default. If explicitly referring to a female plumber, you might encounter idraulica, but in everyday usage the masculine form is commonly used regardless.
Why isn’t the subject explicitly mentioned in the sentence?