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Breakdown of È inutile discutere adesso; parliamone domani mattina.
essere
to be
la mattina
the morning
adesso
now
parlare
to talk
domani
tomorrow
ne
of it
inutile
useless
discutere
to argue
Questions & Answers about È inutile discutere adesso; parliamone domani mattina.
What does the bolded pronoun ne in parliamone mean?
Ne stands for “of it/about it” (or “of them/about them”). It replaces a phrase introduced by di after verbs like parlare di and discutere di.
- Example: Parliamo del problema. → Parliamone. (“Let’s talk about it.”) It refers back to the topic that was just mentioned or is understood from context.
Why is ne attached to the end of parliamo (forming parliamone)?
Because with affirmative imperatives, clitic pronouns attach to the end of the verb (enclisis). The “let’s” form (noi) behaves like an imperative, so we get one word: parliamone (no hyphen).
- Compare: andiamocene (let’s get out of here), diamoglielo (let’s give it to him).
How do I say the negative “Let’s not talk about it now”?
Two options are common:
- Non parliamone adesso. (enclitic; common in speech)
- Non ne parliamo adesso. (proclitic; often preferred in careful/formal writing) Both are correct.
Could I say discutiamone instead of parliamone?
Yes. Discutiamone = “let’s discuss it.” Nuance:
- parlare di is more general/neutral (“talk about”),
- discutere (di) can sound more formal or structured, sometimes with a hint of debate.
Why is it È inutile discutere and not È inutile di discutere?
After impersonal expressions like È + adjective, Italian usually takes a bare infinitive (no di): È inutile discutere, È importante studiare, È difficile capire.
- If you’re describing a property of a specific thing, you might use da: Questo problema è difficile da spiegare.
What’s the role of the semicolon here? Could I use a comma or a period?
A semicolon neatly separates two closely related main clauses:
- È inutile discutere adesso; parliamone domani mattina. A period is equally fine. A comma is often used in Italian between independent clauses, but a semicolon or period is clearer in careful writing.
Is there any difference between adesso and ora?
They both mean “now.” Differences are subtle:
- adesso is very common and colloquial.
- ora can sound a bit more formal or vary regionally; it also means “hour.” In this sentence, either is fine.
Can I say domattina instead of domani mattina?
Yes. Domattina is a very common one-word alternative to domani mattina. You’ll also hear domani mattino, but mattina is more common in everyday speech.
How does parliamone express “let’s talk about it”? Isn’t that just present tense?
Italian forms the “let’s” imperative with the present subjunctive of noi, which often looks identical to the present indicative for regular verbs. So parliamo (subjunctive) + ne → parliamone = “let’s talk about it.”
Why not say ne parleremo domani mattina?
You can. Ne parleremo domani mattina means “we will talk about it tomorrow morning” (a plan/future statement). Parliamone domani mattina is an exhortation/suggestion (“let’s…”). Choose based on tone: suggestion vs. statement.
Why does the first clause use the bare infinitive (discutere) and not discuterne?
Both are possible:
- General statement: È inutile discutere adesso.
- Referring explicitly to a known topic: È inutile discuterne adesso. The second one mirrors the ne in parliamone more tightly.
What’s the difference between discutere and parlare? And can discutere take a direct object?
- parlare (di) = to talk/speak (about)
- discutere (di) = to discuss (often more analytical or argumentative) Discutere can be used transitively in formal style: discutere un problema/una proposta. Accordingly:
- discuterne = discuss it (with “di”)
- discuterlo/la = discuss it (direct object)
Can I change the word order, e.g., Adesso è inutile discutere?
Yes. Italian word order is flexible for emphasis:
- È inutile discutere adesso.
- Adesso è inutile discutere.
- È inutile, adesso, discutere. (more marked) All are acceptable; choose based on what you want to stress.
What about the accent in È? Is E without an accent okay?
Use È (E with a grave accent) for “is/it is.” E without an accent means “and.” If you can’t type accents, some people write E’, but È is the correct form. Avoid É here.
How do you pronounce parliamone, and is there a hyphen?
No hyphen; it’s one word: parliamone. Approximate pronunciation: par-lee-AH-mo-neh, with the stress on the “-lia-” syllable (the same place as in parliamo). Also note the double S in adesso (a strong “ss”).
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