Breakdown of Siamo in ritardo, dobbiamo finire velocemente.
essere
to be
in
in / made of (material)
finire
to finish
dovere
must
velocemente
quickly
in ritardo
late (not on time), delayed
Questions & Answers about Siamo in ritardo, dobbiamo finire velocemente.
How is the adverb velocemente formed here?
Why do we say siamo in ritardo instead of siamo tardi?
In English, "late" is an adjective, but Italian expresses this state with the phrase essere in ritardo (literally, "to be in delay"). The word tardi is an adverb used to describe the time itself, like in è tardi (it is late). When talking about people being late for an event or deadline, always use essere in ritardo.
Why doesn't the verb finire match the "we" subject like siamo and dobbiamo?
Because it comes right after dobbiamo (we must). Dovere (must/to have to) is a modal verb. Just like in English, the main action that follows it stays in the infinitive form (the dictionary form ending in -are, -ere, or -ire). So you use the conjugated helper verb plus the infinitive: dobbiamo finire.
Could I put velocemente before finire?
Usually, no. Adverbs of manner like velocemente typically go directly after the verb they modify. Additionally, in Italian, you generally should not separate a helper verb (dobbiamo) from its infinitive (finire) with an adverb, so it naturally belongs at the very end of this sentence.
Learn Siamo in ritardo, dobbiamo finire velocemente and more in Italian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free