Breakdown of Sento un brivido di paura quando il vento soffia forte.
io
I
di
of
quando
when
il vento
the wind
sentire
to feel
soffiare
to blow
la paura
the fear
forte
hard
il brivido
the shiver
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Questions & Answers about Sento un brivido di paura quando il vento soffia forte.
What does sento mean in this sentence?
The verb sentire can mean both “to hear” and “to feel.” In sento un brivido di paura it means “I feel” because you’re describing a physical sensation (a shiver).
Why do we say un brivido di paura instead of just brivido paura?
Italian nouns normally need an article, so you need un brivido (“a shiver”). The phrase di paura (“of fear”) specifies what kind of shiver it is. You can’t drop di because brivido collocates with di + emotion.
Why is there an article il before vento in quando il vento soffia forte?
Italian often uses the definite article with general, natural phenomena. Il vento here means “the wind” in a general sense, not a specific wind.
Why is forte placed after soffia?
In Italian, adverbs typically follow the verb they modify. Here forte functions adverbially (“strongly”), so it comes after soffia (“blows”).
Why don’t we include the subject pronoun io in sento?
Italian verb endings indicate person and number, so the subject pronoun is usually dropped. Sento already tells you it’s “I” who feels.
Could we say quando soffia forte il vento instead of quando il vento soffia forte?
Yes, you can reorder the clause to quando soffia forte il vento. Italian word order is fairly flexible in subordinate clauses, though the version with il vento first is more neutral.
Why not use mi sento un brivido to express “I feel a shiver”?
The reflexive sentirsi (as in mi sento bene) describes one’s state or health (“I feel good”). To talk about experiencing a specific sensation or perception you use the transitive sentire: sento un brivido.
Can you use per paura instead of di paura?
No, with brivido you always use di to express the cause or content of the shiver: un brivido di paura, never un brivido per paura.