Benché si sia schiarito, porto lo stesso una giacca leggera.

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Breakdown of Benché si sia schiarito, porto lo stesso una giacca leggera.

• la giacca: the jacket
• portare: to bring
• leggero: light

Questions & Answers about Benché si sia schiarito, porto lo stesso una giacca leggera.

What does benché mean and why is it followed by a subjunctive?

Benché means “although” or “even though.” It introduces a concessive clause—that is, it admits a fact (the sky has cleared up) but doesn’t prevent the action in the main clause (I still wear a jacket). In Italian, concessive conjunctions like benché, sebbene and nonostante always require the subjunctive in their subordinate clause.

Why is si sia schiarito in the present perfect subjunctive rather than the simple present subjunctive?

The present perfect subjunctive (sia schiarito) is used because:

• It refers to a completed action (“it has cleared up”).
• After benché, a completed past event is normally expressed with the perfect subjunctive.
  If you used the simple subjunctive (si schiarisca), you’d imply the clearing is simultaneous with or yet to happen, which would change the meaning.

Why do we use essere (sia) instead of avere (abbia) for si sia schiarito?

The verb schiarirsi is an intransitive pronominal (reflexive) verb, so its compound tenses always take essere. Therefore the perfect subjunctive is formed with sia + past participle.

What is the function of si in si sia schiarito, and who is the implied subject?