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Essere sensibili ai bisogni degli altri è importantissimo.

Essere sensibili ai bisogni degli altri è importantissimo.
Being sensitive to others’ needs is extremely important.
FromLesson 36inHardcore Italian

Breakdown of Essere sensibili ai bisogni degli altri è importantissimo.

essere
to be
di
of
il bisogno
the need
a
to
sensibile
sensitive
altri
others
importantissimo
extremely important

Questions & Answers about Essere sensibili ai bisogni degli altri è importantissimo.

Why is Essere sensibili ai bisogni degli altri used as the subject of the sentence?
In Italian, an infinitive clause can function as a noun and act as the subject. Here Essere sensibili ai bisogni degli altri literally means “Being sensitive to the needs of others”, and that whole idea is what è importantissimo (is extremely important).
Why is sensibili in the plural form instead of sensibile?
Adjectives in Italian must agree in number (and gender) with the noun or implied subject they modify. Although no explicit noun precedes it, essere sensibili refers to people in general (a plural concept), so the adjective is plural: sensibili.
Why do we say ai bisogni instead of just a bisogni?
Italian often requires a definite article with general or abstract nouns like bisogni. The preposition a plus the plural masculine article i contracts to ai. So ai bisogni = a + i bisogni = to the needs.
What does degli in ai bisogni degli altri stand for? Could I say bisogni di altri?
Degli is the contraction of di + gli, meaning “of the” (plural masculine). Bisogni degli altri means “the needs of others.” You could say bisogni di altri, but that sounds vague (“needs of some others”) and omits the definite article, which is needed here to speak of people in general.
Can I invert the sentence and say È importantissimo essere sensibili ai bisogni degli altri?

Yes. Italian allows the infinitive subject either before or after essere.
• Essere sensibili ai bisogni degli altri è importantissimo.
• È importantissimo essere sensibili ai bisogni degli altri.
Both are correct; the second is often more fluid.

Why use importantissimo instead of molto importante or just importante?

Importantissimo is the absolute superlative of importante, formed with the suffix -issimo, and conveys “extremely important” or “very, very important.”

  • importante = important
  • molto importante = very important
  • importantissimo = extremely important
Could we add an article before essere and write Il essere sensibili ai bisogni degli altri?
No, in standard Italian you omit the article before an infinitive used as the subject. While you sometimes see nominalized infinitives with il (e.g. Il nuotare è rilassante), with longer clauses it feels formal or awkward. It’s best to use the bare infinitive here.
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