Breakdown of Alla dogana il funzionario mi ha chiesto se avevo qualcosa da dichiarare.
io
I
avere
to have
mi
me
se
if
chiedere
to ask
alla
at
la dogana
the customs
il funzionario
the officer
qualcosa
anything
dichiarare
to declare
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Questions & Answers about Alla dogana il funzionario mi ha chiesto se avevo qualcosa da dichiarare.
Why is Alla dogana used instead of something like Al dogana or In dogana?
- Alla is the contraction of a
- la, giving “to the” or “at the” feminine singular.
- Dogana is feminine, so a
- la → alla.
- You could say in dogana (“in customs”), but alla dogana emphasizes the exact place or desk (“at the customs office/desk”).
Why does the sentence use il funzionario with an article? In English we say “the officer” but often drop articles.
- Italian generally requires a definite article before professions or roles when they’re mentioned as specific individuals: il funzionario = “the officer.”
- Omitting the article (just saying funzionario) sounds odd or too generic in Italian.
- If you meant the role in an abstract sense (“Customs officers have strict rules”), you’d still use i funzionari.
What is the role of mi in mi ha chiesto? Could it be ha chiesto a me?
- Mi is an indirect object clitic pronoun meaning “to me.”
- In Italian, clitic pronouns attach to the verb and always precede the auxiliary in compound tenses: mi ha chiesto = “he/she asked me.”
- You can also say ha chiesto a me, but that’s less common and often used for emphasis.
Why is the clause introduced by se in mi ha chiesto se avevo qualcosa da dichiarare?
- In indirect questions, Italian uses se to mean “if” or “whether.”
- Here the officer asked, “Hai qualcosa da dichiarare?” When reporting that question, you say mi ha chiesto se…
- It functions like English “He asked me whether I had anything to declare.”
Why is the verb in the subordinate clause avevo (imperfect) and not ho (present) or avevo avuto (pluperfect)?
- Sequence of tenses in reported speech: main verb ha chiesto is passato prossimo (past), so the subordinate present (hai) backshifts to the imperfect (avevi → avevo).
- Using ho would keep it in the present, which is incorrect for indirect speech about a past event.
- Avevo avuto would be pluperfect and implies the action was completed before some other past action, which isn’t the case here.
What does qualcosa da dichiarare mean and why da + infinitive?
- Qualcosa = “something.”
- da dichiarare literally “to declare,” so qualcosa da dichiarare = “something to declare.”
- The construction da + infinitive expresses purpose or necessity (“to be _-ed”). Equivalent to English “something to [verb].”
Could you rephrase mi ha chiesto se avevo qualcosa da dichiarare using a different structure?
Yes, for example:
- Mi ha domandato se avevo qualcosa da dichiarare. (using domandare instead of chiedere)
- Mi ha chiesto: “Hai qualcosa da dichiarare?” (direct speech)
- Mi ha chiesto se dovessi dichiarare qualcosa. (using conditional/subjunctive for more formality, though the original is most common)