Breakdown of Saremmo rimasti in banca più a lungo se lo sportello fosse stato aperto anche nel pomeriggio.
essere
to be
aperto
open
in
in
il pomeriggio
the afternoon
nel
in
se
if
noi
we
anche
also
rimanere
to stay
la banca
the bank
più a lungo
longer
lo sportello
the counter
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Questions & Answers about Saremmo rimasti in banca più a lungo se lo sportello fosse stato aperto anche nel pomeriggio.
What tense and mood is saremmo rimasti and how is it formed?
Saremmo rimasti is the condizionale passato (past conditional) of rimanere.
- It’s formed with the present tense of the auxiliary essere (saremmo) + the past participle rimasti.
- The past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject (rimasti for a masculine or mixed group; rimaste for a feminine group).
Use it to talk about hypothetical or unfulfilled actions in the past.
Why does the past participle end in -i (rimasti) and why is essere the auxiliary, not avere?
Rimanere is an intransitive verb that always takes essere as its auxiliary in compound tenses.
- With essere, the past participle must agree with the subject:
- io sono rimasto/rimasta
- noi siamo rimasti/rimaste
Hence, saremmo rimasti ends in -i for a masculine (or mixed-gender) group.
What tense and mood is fosse stato aperto and why is it used in the se-clause?
Fosse stato aperto is the trapassato congiuntivo (pluperfect subjunctive) in the passive voice.
- Formed with the imperfect subjunctive of essere (fosse) + stato
- past participle aperto.
- It’s used after se in a counterfactual (unreal) past conditional to show something did not happen but is being imagined.
Why is the verb in the se-clause passive (fosse stato aperto) and how would you say it actively?
The passive form emphasizes lo sportello (the counter) being open, without specifying who did it.
- Passive: se lo sportello fosse stato aperto
- Active equivalent: se avessero aperto lo sportello
Both convey the same idea; the passive is common when the agent is unknown or irrelevant.
Why do we say in banca instead of a banca or alla banca?
In Italian, certain institutions and businesses typically use in to indicate location:
- in banca = “at the bank.”
Although you could say alla banca centrale (at the central bank), for everyday banking you normally say in banca.
What does più a lungo mean, and why is there an a before lungo?
Più a lungo means “longer” in terms of duration.
- lungo as an adjective means “long” (length).
- a lungo (with a) makes it adverbial: “for a long time.”
- più
- a lungo = “for a longer time” → “longer.”
What role does anche nel pomeriggio play in the sentence?
Anche nel pomeriggio means “also in the afternoon.”
- anche adds “too” or “as well.”
- It expands the condition: the counter would have been open not just in the morning but also in the afternoon.
When do you use condizionale passato in the main clause and trapassato congiuntivo in the se-clause to express unreal past conditions?
This structure is used for past counterfactuals (third‐type conditionals):
- Main clause: condizionale passato (e.g., saremmo rimasti)
- Se-clause: trapassato congiuntivo (e.g., se lo sportello fosse stato aperto)
It describes a hypothetical past situation and its unrealized consequence.