Breakdown of Qualora l'intonaco sia danneggiato, l'architetto cambierà il preventivo.
essere
to be
cambiare
to change
danneggiato
damaged
l'architetto
the architect
Questions & Answers about Qualora l'intonaco sia danneggiato, l'architetto cambierà il preventivo.
What does qualora mean here, and is it common in everyday Italian?
Qualora means if, in the event that, or should it happen that.
In this sentence, it introduces a condition:
- Qualora l'intonaco sia danneggiato = If the plaster is damaged
A key point is that qualora is quite formal and more common in:
- written Italian
- legal or technical language
- official communication
In everyday speech, Italians would more often say:
So yes, qualora is correct, but it sounds more formal than plain se.
Why is it sia and not è?
Because qualora normally requires the subjunctive.
So:
- sia = present subjunctive of essere
- è = present indicative of essere
- Qualora l'intonaco sia danneggiato...
and not:
- Qualora l'intonaco è danneggiato... ❌
This is a very common pattern:
- qualora + subjunctive
For an English speaker, this can feel strange because English usually just uses the normal present after if. Italian often uses the subjunctive after certain conjunctions when the situation is uncertain, hypothetical, or framed formally.
Is qualora always followed by the subjunctive?