Breakdown of Se ho la febbre, uso un termometro.
io
I
avere
to have
usare
to use
se
if
la febbre
the fever
il termometro
the thermometer
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Questions & Answers about Se ho la febbre, uso un termometro.
Why is there no io in Se ho la febbre?
In Italian you usually drop the subject pronoun because the verb ending -o already tells you it’s “I.” Adding io (Se io ho la febbre) is grammatically correct but only used for emphasis or contrast.
What kind of conditional is Se ho la febbre, uso un termometro?
This is the periodo ipotetico della realtà (a factual or “zero” conditional). It describes a general truth or habitual action: whenever I have a fever, I use a thermometer.
Why are both verbs in the present tense? Can I switch to the future tense?
For real or habitual situations, Italian uses present + present. If you want to talk about a specific future case, use the future in both clauses:
- Se avrò la febbre, userò un termometro (“If I get a fever, I will use a thermometer”).
Is the comma required before uso un termometro?
When the se-clause comes first, a comma is customary to separate it from the main clause. If you invert them (Uso un termometro se ho la febbre), the comma is optional—often omitted in speech.
Why do we say la febbre with a definite article?
In Italian, illnesses and bodily states normally take the definite article: la febbre, la tosse, l’influenza. It’s just the standard pattern. Saying una febbre would sound odd, as if you’re emphasizing one particular episode.
Can we drop the article and say Se ho febbre?
In very informal or regional speech you might hear ho febbre, but the correct, standard form is ho la febbre.
Why un termometro and not il termometro?
Un is the indefinite article (“a thermometer,” meaning any one). Use il termometro if you mean a specific thermometer already known in context:
- Se ho la febbre, uso il termometro che ho comprato ieri.
Could I use utilizzo instead of uso?
Yes. Utilizzo is more formal or technical; uso is the common everyday verb.
How do I express an unlikely or hypothetical scenario, like “If I were to have a fever, I would use a thermometer”?
You’d use the periodo ipotetico dell’irrealtà (second type). That means imperfect subjunctive in the se-clause and conditional in the main clause:
- Se avessi la febbre, userei un termometro.