Breakdown of Se il piumone fosse più leggero, non avrei caldo di notte.
essere
to be
di
of
non
not
se
if
più
more
la notte
the night
leggero
light
il piumone
the duvet
avere caldo
to be hot
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Questions & Answers about Se il piumone fosse più leggero, non avrei caldo di notte.
Why is fosse used in the sentence?
Because after a hypothetical se clause referring to a present unreal situation, Italian uses the imperfect subjunctive. Fosse is the third-person singular imperfect subjunctive of essere (“to be”).
Why is the imperfect subjunctive required instead of the present subjunctive?
Italian distinguishes between real/open and unreal conditions:
- Real/open possibility: se + present indicative
- Unreal (contrary-to-fact) present: se + imperfect subjunctive
Here the speaker imagines a situation that isn’t true now, so the imperfect subjunctive (fosse) is correct.
Why do we say non avrei instead of avrò?
Avrò is the simple future (“I will have”): it states a certain future event.
Avrei is the present conditional (“I would have”), used as the result of an unreal condition. Since the “if” clause is hypothetical, the main clause must be in the conditional.
Why is avere caldo used instead of essere caldo?
In Italian, sensations like heat or cold are expressed with avere. You literally “have heat” (avere caldo) rather than “are hot.”
What does più leggero mean, and why use più?
Più leggero means “lighter.” Più is the comparative particle meaning “more.” Paired with leggero (“light”), it forms the comparative: “more light,” i.e. “lighter.”
Could you replace più leggero with meno pesante?
Yes. Meno pesante (“less heavy”) conveys almost the same idea as più leggero (“lighter”) in this context. Both comparatives work.
Can the two clauses be inverted?
Yes. You can say:
Non avrei caldo di notte se il piumone fosse più leggero.
When the se-clause follows, you drop the comma.
What role does di notte play?
Di notte means “at night.” It’s a time adverbial specifying when the speaker feels hot.