La fame improvvisa può rendere difficile concentrarsi sul lavoro.

(Sudden hunger can make it hard to focus on work.)

Breakdown of La fame improvvisa può rendere difficile concentrarsi sul lavoro.

• su: on
• potere: to be able
• rendere: to make
• il lavoro: the work
• concentrarsi: to focus
• la fame: the hunger
• improvviso: sudden
• difficile: hard

Questions & Answers about La fame improvvisa può rendere difficile concentrarsi sul lavoro.

What is the role of "La fame improvvisa" in this sentence, and how do its components agree grammatically?

"La fame improvvisa" serves as the subject of the sentence. La fame means "hunger," and improvvisa is an adjective meaning "sudden." Because fame is feminine, the adjective improvvisa is also in the feminine form, ensuring proper gender agreement.

How does the phrase "può rendere difficile" function grammatically in the sentence?

The phrase "può rendere difficile" is a causative construction. Può is the third person singular form of the modal verb potere (meaning "can" or "is able to"), which expresses possibility. It is followed by the infinitive rendere (meaning "to make" or "to render"), and then by the adjective difficile (meaning "difficult") that describes the result or effect. Together, they mean "can make (something) difficult."

Why is the verb "concentrarsi" written as one word with the reflexive pronoun attached?

In Italian, when a reflexive verb is used in the infinitive form alongside another verb, the reflexive pronoun is attached to the end of the infinitive. Concentrarsi means "to concentrate" in a reflexive sense—indicating that the subject performs and receives the action. This is why the pronoun si isn’t placed separately but is directly appended to concentrare.

How is the contraction "sul" formed, and what does it signify in this context?

The contraction "sul" is formed by combining the preposition su (meaning "on") with the definite article il (meaning "the"), which is required for masculine singular nouns. In this sentence, sul lavoro translates to "on the work," indicating that the effect (difficulty concentrating) specifically relates to work.

Is the sentence structure typical in Italian for expressing a cause–effect relationship, and how does it compare to English constructions?

Yes, the sentence structure is quite typical in Italian for expressing causality. Using a modal verb like può followed by an infinitive such as rendere to introduce an adjective (difficile) and another infinitive (concentrarsi) is a common way to explain that one condition (sudden hunger) can lead to a consequence (difficulty in concentrating). This mirrors the English construction "can make it difficult to..." where a cause results in a specific effect.