Learn Hardcore Italian: L'allenatore dice che la partita sarebbe stata più facile con un pubblico così entusiasta. - The coach says that the match would have been easier with such an enthusiastic crowd.

Italian often uses the so-called historical or narrative present to report speech in a vivid way. L’allenatore dice che… literally means “The coach says that…,” even when referring to something he already said. If you want to place the act of saying squarely in the past, you can use ha detto che (“he said that”).

What tense is sarebbe stata and why is it used here?

Sarebbe stata is the condizionale passato (past conditional) of essere. It’s used here because:
1) It expresses a hypothesis about the past (“would have been”).
2) In indirect speech, if the original direct sentence was “La partita sarà più facile…,” you shift the future tense (“sarà”) into the past conditional when reporting after the fact.

How do you form the condizionale passato in Italian?

You take the conditional of the auxiliary (avere or essere) + the past participle of the main verb.
– Con essere: sarei, saresti, sarebbe, saremmo, sareste, sarebbero + participio (e.g., stata)
– Con avere: avrei, avresti, avrebbe… + participio

Why is the participle stata feminine here?

Because essere as auxiliary agrees with the subject in gender and number. The subject is la partita, which is feminine singular, so you use stata (not stato).

Why do we use an indefinite article un in con un pubblico così entusiasta instead of the definite il?

Un pubblico (“an enthusiastic crowd”) is generic: it refers to any crowd with that quality. Il pubblico would point to a specific audience already known to both speaker and listener. Here the coach means “with a crowd like that,” not a particular one.

What does così entusiasta mean and how is così used?

Così is an adverb meaning “so” or “thus.” Used before an adjective, così entusiasta means “so enthusiastic.” It intensifies the adjective exactly like English “so.”

Is there a difference between più facile and migliore in this context?

Yes. Più facile means “easier” (less difficult). Migliore means “better” (higher quality). The coach isn’t saying the match would be better in quality—he means it would be easier to play.

Why do we introduce the subordinate clause with che here? Could we use an infinitive instead?

Italian requires che + a finite verb to report what someone says, thinks or believes (discorso indiretto). There’s no construction like English “he said [the match] to be easier.” You must say dice che la partita sarebbe stata….

What triggers the conditional in the subordinate clause after dice che?

When reporting a future or potential statement, Italian shifts the original future or potential tense into the conditional (present or past) after verbs of saying, thinking or believing. Here, the coach’s original “sarà più facile” (“it will be easier”) becomes “sarebbe stata più facile” (“it would have been easier”) in indirect speech.