Breakdown of Se perdessi la cintura, ne comprerei subito un’altra.
io
I
comprare
to buy
se
if
perdere
to lose
subito
immediately
ne
of it
la cintura
the belt
un’altra
another one
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Questions & Answers about Se perdessi la cintura, ne comprerei subito un’altra.
Why does this sentence use se perdessi (imperfect subjunctive) and comprerei (conditional present)?
In Italian, to talk about a hypothetical or unreal situation in the present/future (“If I were to lose my belt…”), you pair se + imperfect subjunctive in the “if” clause with the present conditional in the main clause.
- Perdessi is the imperfect subjunctive of perdere, showing the condition is not real.
- Comprerei is the first-person singular of the present conditional, meaning “I would buy.”
What exactly does ne mean in ne comprerei subito un’altra?
Ne is a partitive pronoun replacing di cintura (“of belt”). Here it means “another one of them” or “another belt.” So ne comprerei… literally “I would buy of it,” i.e. “I would buy another one.”
Why is ne used instead of the direct-object pronoun la (for “belt”)?
La would refer to the exact belt you lost (“I would buy it”), but we want “another belt.” Ne expresses “some/more of it” and works for “another one,” not “the same one.”
Why do we say un’altra instead of un altro here?
Because cintura is feminine. The feminine article una contracts before a vowel with altra to un’altra (i.e. “una altra” → “un’altra”).
Can I omit ne and just say Comprerei subito un’altra?
Yes, if context makes it clear. However, you’d usually either repeat the noun (comprerei subito un’altra cintura) or keep ne to avoid ambiguity and sound natural.
Where can I place the adverb subito, and what changes if I move it?
Subito (“immediately”) normally follows the verb: ne comprerei subito un’altra.
- Subito ne comprerei un’altra emphasizes the speed (“Immediately I would buy…”).
- Ne comprerei un’altra subito also works, with slight stress on subito at the end.
How would I express a past unreal condition (“If I had lost my belt, I would have immediately bought another”)?
Use the past perfect subjunctive in the se clause and the past conditional in the main clause:
Se avessi perso la cintura, ne avrei comprata un’altra subito.