Breakdown of Se la videochiamata diventa instabile, passiamo alla sola voce.
se
if
noi
we
diventare
to become
solo
only
la voce
the voice
alla
to the
la videochiamata
the video call
instabile
unstable
passare
to switch
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Questions & Answers about Se la videochiamata diventa instabile, passiamo alla sola voce.
What does Se mean in this sentence?
Se means if and introduces the conditional clause. It signals that the action in the main clause depends on this condition being met.
What’s the difference between Se and Quando in this context?
Se expresses a possible or hypothetical situation (“if the call becomes unstable”).
Quando would imply certainty that it will become unstable at some point (“when the call becomes unstable”), which changes the nuance.
Why is diventa in the present tense instead of using a future form like diventerà?
In Italian “real” (or factual) conditionals use the present tense in both clauses, even if you’re talking about the future. So instead of Se diventerà instabile, passeremo…, you say Se diventa instabile, passiamo…. It corresponds to English first‐conditional with if + present + future result.
Why does instabile end with -e and not change for gender?
Adjectives ending in -e have the same form for masculine and feminine singular (e.g. instabile, intelligente). They only change to -i in the plural (e.g. instabili, intelligenti).
Why is there a la before videochiamata?
Italian nouns generally require an article. Videochiamata is a feminine singular noun, so it takes the definite article la (equivalent to “the video call”).
What does passiamo mean here? Is it a present tense or an imperative?
Passiamo is the first-person plural present indicative (“we switch”).
It’s identical in form to the “noi” imperative, so it also works as “let’s switch to voice only.” Context tells you it’s a suggestion for both speakers.
Why don’t we use a future tense like passeremo after Se?
In real-conditionals introduced by Se, Italian uses the present tense in both clauses, even when referring to future actions. Thus you say Se X succede, Y facciamo, not Se X succederà, Y faremo.
What does alla sola voce literally mean, and why is sola placed before voce?
Alla is the contraction of a + la (“to the”).
Sola voce means “voice only.” When solo/sola means “only,” it normally precedes the noun in Italian, unlike many other adjectives.
Could I replace voce with audio, and if so, how?
Yes, but since audio is masculine you’d say all’audio (contraction of a + l’audio). Note, though, that Italians more often say voce to refer to a voice‐only call; audio can sound more technical.
Why is there a comma after instabile?
In Italian, when a subordinate clause (here Se la videochiamata diventa instabile) comes before the main clause, you separate them with a comma.