Breakdown of La scheda deve essere consegnata prima della scadenza prevista.
essere
to be
di
of
prima
before
dovere
to have to
consegnare
to submit
la scadenza
the deadline
previsto
scheduled
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Questions & Answers about La scheda deve essere consegnata prima della scadenza prevista.
What is the grammatical structure of deve essere consegnata in this sentence?
Deve essere consegnata is a modal construction combined with the passive voice. Deve is the modal verb meaning “must” or “has to,” essere functions as the auxiliary needed to form the passive, and consegnata is the past participle. Note that consegnata agrees in gender (feminine) and number (singular) with the subject la scheda.
Why does the past participle appear as consegnata instead of consegnato?
The past participle must agree with the subject in both gender and number. Since la scheda is a feminine singular noun, the participle takes the feminine form consegnata. This is a common agreement rule in Italian, particularly in passive constructions.
How does the phrase prima della scadenza prevista function in the sentence?
The phrase prima della scadenza prevista acts as an adverbial phrase indicating a time limit. Prima di means “before,” la scadenza translates to “the deadline,” and prevista means “expected” or “scheduled.” Together, they specify that the form must be submitted before the stated deadline.
What does the passive construction imply about who is responsible for submitting the form?
The passive construction in deve essere consegnata shifts the focus from who performs the action to the action itself. In this case, it emphasizes that the form la scheda must be submitted by someone, without specifying who. This is often used in formal or official contexts where the emphasis is on the requirement rather than the actor.
How might the sentence change if we wanted to express the requirement in the active voice?
To express the sentence in the active voice, you would need to specify the agent responsible for submitting the form. For example, if addressing someone directly, you could say: Devi consegnare la scheda prima della scadenza prevista. Here, devi (you must) replaces deve, and consegnare is used in the active form with la scheda as its direct object.