Question 1

Why do we use perché here instead of siccome?

Accepted Answer

We use perché when the reason comes in the middle of the sentence, linking the result (Maria is absent) to its cause (she got sick). If you want to state the cause first at the beginning of the sentence, you would use siccome: Siccome si è ammalata ieri, Maria è assente.

Question 2

Can I start this sentence with perché to mean 'Because she got sick...'?

Accepted Answer

In Italian, it sounds unnatural to start a statement with perché when you mean 'because'. If you want to start the sentence with the reason, you should use siccome (Since / Because). You generally only start a sentence with perché if you are asking a 'Why?' question.

Question 3

Why is it si è ammalata instead of just è ammalata?

Accepted Answer

The verb for 'to get sick' is ammalarsi, which is a reflexive verb. The si is the reflexive pronoun. If you just say è ammalata, you are using an adjective to say 'she is sick' right now. By using the reflexive pronoun and the helper verb essere, si è ammalata forms the past tense (passato prossimo) to mean 'she got sick' yesterday.

Question 4

Why does ammalata end in -a?

Accepted Answer

Because ammalarsi is a reflexive verb, it must use essere (to be) as its helper verb in the past tense. Whenever a verb uses essere to form the past tense, its past participle (the main verb) must match the subject in gender and number. Since Maria is feminine and singular, the ending changes to -a.

Maria è assente perché si è ammalata ieri.

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