Breakdown of Spero che il collo non mi faccia più male domani.
io
I
non
not
domani
tomorrow
mi
me
che
that
sperare
to hope
fare male
to hurt
più
anymore
il collo
the neck
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Questions & Answers about Spero che il collo non mi faccia più male domani.
Why do we use spero che + the subjunctive faccia here instead of an infinitive or the indicative?
In Italian, when the main verb expresses hope, desire, fear, etc. (“sperare” is a verb of hope) and the subordinate clause has a different subject, you link with che + present subjunctive.
- Here the subject of “spero” is I, the subject of “faccia” is the neck.
- If both clauses had the same subject (you hoping you won’t hurt), you could use spero di
- infinitive.
What is the role of mi in mi faccia male?
Mi is an indirect object pronoun meaning “to me.” In the construction fare male (“to hurt”), you say mi faccia male = “it causes pain to me.” Many body-part expressions use fare male + pronoun rather than a reflexive or direct-verb form.
What does più mean in non mi faccia più male? Does it mean “more”?
In a negative sentence, più means “anymore” or “no longer.”
- Non … più = “no longer” (e.g. “it doesn’t hurt me anymore”).
- If you wanted “it hurts me more,” you would use mi fa più male without non.
Why not use ancora instead of più for “anymore”?
- Ancora in affirmative sentences means “still” (mi fa ancora male = “it still hurts me”).
- In negative contexts, più takes on the sense “anymore/no longer” (non mi fa più male).
- Saying non mi fa ancora male would often mean “it doesn’t yet hurt me.”
Why is domani placed at the end? Can I put it elsewhere?
Italian word order is quite flexible. You can say:
- Domani spero che il collo non mi faccia più male.
- Spero che domani il collo non mi faccia più male.
Placing domani at the end simply emphasizes “tomorrow” as the time reference.
Why do we say il collo and not la collo?
Collo (“neck”) is a masculine noun in Italian, so it takes the masculine definite article il. Nouns ending in –o are generally masculine.
Can I rephrase this sentence using mal di collo?
Yes. Since both clauses would share the same subject (you hoping for yourself), you can use spero di + infinitive + mal di collo:
- Spero di non avere più mal di collo domani.
Or keep che- subjunctive with avere:
- Spero che domani non abbia più mal di collo.
Why not say ho mal di collo instead of il collo mi fa male?
Both are correct and very common:
- Il collo mi fa male (“the neck hurts me”) focuses on the body part causing pain.
- Ho mal di collo (“I have neck pain”) presents it as a condition you’re experiencing. There’s no significant difference in meaning.