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Questions & Answers about Parleremo sussurrando, perché la vicina dorme già da un’ora.
What tense is parleremo and what does it indicate about the timing of the action?
Parleremo is the futuro semplice (simple future) in Italian, first person plural. The ending –emo tells you that the speakers (“we”) will perform the action in the future: parleremo = “we will speak.”
What is sussurrando, and why is it used here instead of an adverb or infinitive?
Sussurrando is the gerund form of sussurrare (“to whisper”). Italian often uses the gerund after another verb to express manner, much like an adverb. So parleremo sussurrando literally means “we will speak by whispering” or “we will speak in a whisper.”
Why is there a comma before perché, and what function does perché serve in this sentence?
Here perché means “because” (introducing a causal clause). When the cause follows the main clause, it’s standard to set it off with a comma:
Parleremo sussurrando, perché la vicina dorme già da un’ora.
The comma improves clarity by marking the shift from main statement to explanation.
What nuance does the word già add in già da un’ora?
Già = “already.” Placed before da un’ora, it emphasizes that the neighbor has “already” been sleeping for an hour, suggesting that the situation began earlier and has been going on longer than one might expect.
Why do we use da un’ora instead of per un’ora to express duration?
In Italian, when you want to say that something started in the past and continues up to now, you typically use the present tense + da + time span.
— dorme da un’ora = “she has been sleeping for an hour.”
You can say per un’ora in some contexts, but da + present tense is the most idiomatic way to express ongoing duration.
Could we say sta dormendo da un’ora instead of dorme da un’ora, and would the meaning change?
Yes. Sta dormendo da un’ora uses the present progressive (“she has been sleeping for an hour”), which highlights the ongoing nature of the action. Dorme da un’ora (present simple) already implies continuity, so both are correct. The progressive is simply more explicit about the action being in progress.
Why is it written un’ora and not una ora?
Italian elides the final vowel of a feminine article before a noun starting with a vowel. So una ora becomes un’ora (the apostrophe marks the missing “a”).
Why do we say la vicina instead of just vicina?
In Italian, singular nouns generally require a definite article. Unlike English, you can’t drop “the.” So you need la vicina (“the neighbor”), not just vicina.
How would the sentence change if the neighbor were male?
You’d replace the feminine article and noun with the masculine form:
Parleremo sussurrando, perché il vicino dorme già da un’ora.
Why not use sussurremo (the future of “to whisper”) instead of parleremo sussurrando?
You can say sussurremo, which means “we will whisper.” For example:
Sussurremo, perché la vicina dorme già da un’ora.
The nuance is slightly different:
• sussurremo focuses on the action (“we will whisper”).
• parleremo sussurrando emphasizes the manner of speaking (“we will speak by whispering”).
Can we reverse the order and start with the causal clause introduced by perché?
Yes. Italian allows you to begin with the reason:
Perché la vicina dorme già da un’ora, parleremo sussurrando.
You still use a comma after the subordinate clause to separate it from the main clause.
