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Breakdown of Quella serie, l’ho iniziata ieri sera.
io
I
la sera
the evening
ieri
yesterday
iniziare
to start
la
it
quella
that
la serie
the series
Questions & Answers about Quella serie, l’ho iniziata ieri sera.
Why is the object moved to the front with a comma (Quella serie, …)?
Italian often uses left dislocation (topic fronting) to set the topic first and then resume it with a clitic pronoun. So Quella serie, l’ho iniziata… means “As for that series, I started it…”. The resumptive l’ is required; without it, the sentence would be ungrammatical in this structure.
What does l’ in l’ho stand for?
It’s a direct-object clitic. Here it stands for la (feminine singular) referring to quella serie. Before a vowel or silent H, lo or la elide to l’.
How do I know whether l’ is lo or la?
From context and agreement. Serie is feminine, and the participle iniziata is feminine, so l’ here = la. If it referred to a masculine noun (e.g., il film), you’d see iniziato.
Why is it iniziata and not iniziato?
With avere, the past participle agrees in gender and number when a direct-object clitic (lo, la, li, le, mi, ti, ci, vi used as DOs) comes before the verb. Hence l’ho iniziata (fem. sg.). Examples:
- L’ho iniziato (il film)
- Le ho iniziate (le serie)
- Li ho iniziati (i corsi)
If I say Ho iniziato quella serie, do I still need agreement?
No. When the object follows the verb, the participle with avere is invariable: Ho iniziato quella serie (not iniziata).
Is the comma after Quella serie necessary?
Yes, it marks the pause of topic fronting. In writing, keep the comma: Quella serie, l’ho iniziata…
Where can I put ieri sera?
Common positions:
- Ieri sera l’ho iniziata.
- L’ho iniziata ieri sera.
- Quella serie, ieri sera l’ho iniziata. All are fine; end placement is very common.
Why does this use avere and not essere?
Because iniziare is transitive here (you start something): Ho iniziato la serie. When it’s intransitive (the thing itself begins), use essere: La serie è iniziata.
How would I say the series itself started last night?
La serie è iniziata ieri sera.
Can I use cominciare instead of iniziare?
Yes, they’re near-synonyms: Quella serie, l’ho cominciata ieri sera. You can also specify the activity: Ho iniziato a guardarla ieri sera.
Why not write la ho iniziata? And is there a space in l’ho?
Before ho/ha/hanno, lo/la must elide to l’: l’ho / l’ha / l’hanno. Write it without a space after the apostrophe: l’ho (not l’ ho). Note that li and le do not elide: li ho, le ho.
Does l’ho ever mean “I have it” (possession)?
For possession, Italian normally uses ce l’ho. Without ce, l’ho is usually the auxiliary + clitic in a past tense. Compare:
- Ce l’ho. = I have it.
- L’ho iniziata. = I started it.
How do I make it negative?
Place non before the clitic: Non l’ho iniziata ieri sera.
What changes in the plural?
Agreement follows number and gender:
- Quelle serie, le ho iniziate ieri sera.
- Quei film, li ho iniziati ieri sera.
Why is serie feminine, and is the plural the same form?
Serie is feminine; its singular and plural are identical in form: la serie / le serie. Articles and agreement show number and gender: quella serie (sg.), quelle serie (pl.).
Does the agreement rule also apply with ne?
Yes, when ne refers to a countable direct object and a numeral/quantifier is expressed:
- Quante serie hai iniziato? Ne ho iniziate due. (feminine plural agreement with “two [of them]”)
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