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Quando sentirai la campanella di fine lezione, potrai uscire.

Quando sentirai la campanella di fine lezione, potrai uscire.
When you hear the end-of-lesson bell, you can go out.
FromLesson 40inHardcore Italian

Questions & Answers about Quando sentirai la campanella di fine lezione, potrai uscire.

What tense and person is sentirai?
sentirai is the future indicative, second person singular of sentire, meaning “you will hear.”
Why are both verbs in the future tense here?
Because both actions refer to future events. In Italian, when a temporal subordinate clause introduced by quando refers to the future, you can use the future in both the subordinate (sentirai) and the main clause (potrai) to clearly show the sequence.
Is it correct to use the present tense after quando for future situations?
Yes. Normative Italian often uses the present indicative in future temporal clauses: Quando senti la campanella, puoi uscire. This is very common in everyday speech.
What does campanella di fine lezione mean and how does the structure work?
Literally “bell of end lesson.” campanella (diminutive of campana) is “bell,” and di fine lezione is a noun phrase (“of end of lesson”) describing its purpose. Together, it means “the bell signaling the end of class.”
Why is there no article before fine or lezione in di fine lezione?
Phrases like di + noun + noun often omit articles in Italian to remain concise and idiomatic. You could say della fine della lezione, but it’s more wordy and less natural.
What’s the difference between campana and campanella?
campanella is the diminutive of campana, so it refers to a smaller bell—like a school bell. campana on its own might suggest a larger or church bell.
What nuance does potrai add compared to puoi?
potrai (“you will be able to”) places the permission or ability in the future. puoi (“you can”) is present tense and implies immediate permission. Both are possible, but potrai matches the future context.
Why is uscire in the infinitive form after potrai?
Modal verbs (like potere) require the following verb to stay in the infinitive. Thus, potrai is followed by uscire (“to leave”).
Can we replace quando with appena, and if so, what changes?
Yes. Appena sentirai la campanella di fine lezione, potrai uscire. Here, appena (“as soon as”) emphasizes immediate succession, but the overall meaning stays the same.
Is the comma before potrai uscire mandatory?
When the subordinate clause introduced by quando comes first, placing a comma before the main clause is customary for clarity. It’s not strictly mandatory, but it’s recommended.
Can we invert the clauses without changing the meaning?
Absolutely. Potrai uscire quando sentirai la campanella di fine lezione. becomes the main clause first, subordinate clause second, and you can drop the comma.
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