Learn Hardcore Italian: È essenziale riposare dopo il lavoro.

The grave accent on È distinguishes the verb essere in the third-person singular present (“he/she/it is”) from the conjunction e (“and”). Without the accent, it would be confused with “and.”

Why is riposare in the infinitive form instead of being conjugated?

In Italian, after impersonal expressions like È essenziale, you use the infinitive to state what action is required. It’s the same pattern as “It’s essential to rest” in English—“rest” stays in the infinitive.

Is there an explicit subject in È essenziale riposare dopo il lavoro? Who is “it”?

This is an impersonal construction. The È is a dummy subject (“it” in English) and doesn’t refer to a specific person. The sentence gives general advice to anyone: “It’s essential to rest after work.”

Why do we say dopo il lavoro instead of just dopo lavoro?

In Italian, when you use a preposition like dopo, you normally need the definite article before a noun that refers to a general concept.
• dopo il lavoro = “after work”
Omitting il would sound unnatural and ungrammatical.

Could I replace essenziale with other adjectives?

Yes. Common synonyms include:
• fondamentale (“It's fundamental…”)
• necessario (“It’s necessary…”)
• indispensabile (“It’s indispensable…”)
All follow the same pattern: È fondamentale riposare…, È necessario riposare…, etc.

How do I pronounce essenziale, and where is the stress?

Pronounce it as es-sen-TZYA-le. The stress falls on the “tzi” syllable:
• es-sen-TZI-a-le

Can I convey the same idea in another way?

Yes. You could use:
• Bisogna riposare dopo il lavoro. (“One must rest after work.”)
• È importante riposare dopo il lavoro. (“It’s important to rest after work.”)
These alternatives use different impersonal or modal verbs but keep the same meaning.