Se la lampadina si bruciasse, la cambierei immediatamente.

If the light bulb burned out, I would change it immediately.

Breakdown of Se la lampadina si bruciasse, la cambierei immediatamente.

• io: I
• se: if
• cambiare: to change
• la: it
• la lampadina: the light bulb
• bruciarsi: to burn out
• immediatamente: immediately

Questions & Answers about Se la lampadina si bruciasse, la cambierei immediatamente.

What type of conditional sentence is Se la lampadina si bruciasse, la cambierei immediatamente?

It’s a second-type conditional (periodo ipotetico dell’irrealizzabile). You express an unreal or unlikely present/future condition with Imperfetto Congiuntivo in the se clause and Condizionale Presente in the main clause.

Why do we use the imperfect subjunctive in si bruciasse instead of the indicative?

In Italian, when you talk about a hypothetical or counterfactual situation introduced by se, you use the Imperfetto Congiuntivo (si bruciasse) to signal that the event is unlikely or imagined. The indicative (se si brucia) would express a real or possible condition.

What does si bruciasse literally mean? Is it passive?

Here bruciarsi is a pronominal/intransitive verb meaning “to burn out.” So si bruciasse = “if it burned out.” It’s not a true passive but a reflexive form that describes the lamp going dead.

Why is there a la before cambierei?

The la is a direct-object pronoun replacing la lampadina. Italian object pronouns normally precede the verb, so la cambierei means “I would change it.”

Why do we say cambierei instead of cambio?

In the result clause of a hypothetical/unreal sentence, Italian uses the Condizionale Presente. cambierei is the first-person singular of cambiare in the present conditional: “I would change.”

Can we switch the order of the clauses? For example, La cambierei immediatamente se si bruciasse?

Yes. You can put the main clause (apodosi) before the se clause (protasi). The meaning stays the same; it just changes the emphasis or rhythm.

Could we replace immediatamente with another adverb?

Absolutely. Subito is a common, more colloquial synonym: La cambierei subito. Immediatamente is slightly more formal, but both work.

How would you express this idea if the lamp had already burned out (past hypothetical)?

You’d use Trapassato Congiuntivo in the se clause and Condizionale Passato in the result:
Se la lampadina si fosse bruciata, l’avrei cambiata.

Why isn’t the subject pronoun io used anywhere?

Italian normally omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already indicates the person. cambierei clearly means “I would change,” so adding io is redundant and rarely done in neutral statements.