Breakdown of La finestra è aperta, la dobbiamo chiudere subito.
essere
to be
aperto
open
la finestra
the window
chiudere
to close
subito
immediately / right away
dovere
must
la
her/it (direct object)
Questions & Answers about La finestra è aperta, la dobbiamo chiudere subito.
Why is the pronoun la placed before dobbiamo instead of after chiudere?
With modal verbs like dobbiamo (we must) followed by an infinitive like chiudere (to close), you have two choices. You can put the pronoun before the conjugated verb, as seen here (la dobbiamo chiudere), or attach it to the end of the infinitive by dropping its final -e (dobbiamo chiuderla). Both are correct and mean the exact same thing!
Could I write this as dobbiamo chiudere la instead?
No, you cannot leave the pronoun as a separate word after the verb. If you want to place it after the verb, it must be glued directly to the infinitive to make one single word: chiuderla.
What exactly does the second la in the sentence mean?
It is a direct object pronoun meaning "it". It refers back to la finestra (the window). Since finestra is a feminine singular noun, we must use the feminine singular pronoun la.
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