Question 1

How does the phrase sta per peggiorare translate to "is about to worsen"?

Accepted Answer

This sentence uses the construction stare per plus an infinitive verb, which means "to be about to" do something. Here, we use sta because the subject is la situazione (it), followed by per, and then the infinitive verb peggiorare (to worsen).

Question 2

Doesn't torniamo usually mean "we return"? How does it mean "let's return" here?

Accepted Answer

Yes, torniamo is the present tense "we" form of tornare. However, in Italian, you also use this exact same noi (we) form to suggest doing something together, acting just like "let's" in English. The comma and context tell you it is a suggestion rather than just stating a fact.

Question 3

Why is there no definite article before casa?

Accepted Answer

The word casa is a common exception. Just like in English where we say "going home" instead of "going to the home", Italian drops the definite article when talking about going to or being at your own house. You simply use the preposition a, making it a casa.

Question 4

How can I remember the gender of a word like situazione?

Accepted Answer

Notice the article la before it, which tells you it is feminine. A helpful rule to remember is that almost all Italian nouns ending in -zione (like situazione, informazione, or stazione) are feminine.

Question 5

Is the verb peggiorare related to the word peggio (worse)?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Peggio means "worse", and adding the verb ending makes it peggiorare, meaning "to worsen" or "to get worse". You can do the same thing with its opposite: meglio (better) becomes migliorare (to improve).

Torniamo a casa, la situazione sta per peggiorare.

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