Breakdown of Penso che sia importante fidarsi delle persone con cui lavori ogni giorno.
io
I
essere
to be
di
of
ogni
every
con
with
il giorno
the day
importante
important
pensare
to think
lavorare
to work
la persona
the person
fidarsi
to trust
cui
whom
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Questions & Answers about Penso che sia importante fidarsi delle persone con cui lavori ogni giorno.
Why is the subjunctive mood used in “sia importante” instead of the indicative?
In Italian, after expressions of personal opinion or uncertainty like penso che (“I think that”), it's common to use the subjunctive mood in the subordinate clause. So, although in English we say “I think it is important,” in Italian the verb changes to the subjunctive form sia to reflect the speaker’s subjective stance.
What does the reflexive verb fidarsi mean, and why is it used in this sentence?
Fidarsi means “to trust” and is a reflexive verb. In Italian, when you talk about trusting someone, you use it in its reflexive form together with the preposition di (as in fidarsi di). This structure emphasizes that the action of trusting is something that happens to oneself, much like saying “to place one’s trust in” someone in English.
What is the significance of the phrase delle persone in the sentence?
The phrase delle persone is the result of contracting the preposition di with the definite article le (used for feminine plural nouns). Since fidarsi di requires the preposition di and “people” is persone (a feminine plural noun), di le becomes delle. This construction correctly indicates the object of trust.
How is the relative clause con cui lavori ogni giorno structured, and what does it add to the sentence?
The segment con cui lavori ogni giorno is a relative clause. The phrase con cui means “with whom” and directly qualifies persone, specifying which people are being referred to—the ones you work with on a daily basis. The verb lavori is in the second person singular, which is a common way in Italian to address the listener in general statements.
Why is the sentence built with a subordinate clause starting with che, and how does it affect the verb forms used?
The sentence begins with Penso che, which introduces a subordinate clause. In Italian, when an opinion, doubt, or subjective judgment is expressed in a main clause (like penso meaning “I think”), the following clause that starts with che typically uses the subjunctive mood. That’s why sia (the subjunctive of essere) is used instead of the indicative è. This structure helps signal that the idea is a personal opinion rather than an objective statement.