Breakdown of Se non accetti questa condizione, non firmo il contratto.
questo
this (masculine)
non
not
se
if
accettare
to accept
la condizione
the condition
firmare
to sign
il contratto
the contract
Questions & Answers about Se non accetti questa condizione, non firmo il contratto.
The English translation says "I won't sign", which is future tense. Why does the Italian sentence use the present tense firmo?
In Italian "first conditional" sentences (which talk about real possibilities), you can use the present tense in both parts of the sentence. This is very common when the consequence is immediate or certain. While English requires the future tense "I won't sign", Italian perfectly accepts the present tense non firmo.
Could I use the future tense in Italian for this sentence instead?
Yes! You can also say Se non accetterai questa condizione, non firmerò il contratto (Future + Future) or Se non accetti questa condizione, non firmerò il contratto (Present + Future). All of these are correct, but using the present tense for both is the most common choice in everyday spoken Italian.
Why does accetti end in an "i"? Is it a plural word?
No, accetti is a verb, not a noun! It is the informal "you" (tu) form of the present tense verb accettare (to accept). In the Italian present tense, all regular tu forms end in "-i", regardless of the verb's infinitive ending.
Why do we use questa instead of questo here?
Questa means "this", and like all adjectives, it must match the gender and number of the noun it describes. Even though it ends in "-e", condizione (condition) is a feminine singular noun, so you must use the feminine singular form questa. (Tip: Nouns ending in "-zione" are almost always feminine).
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