Word
Dovresti chiedere che puliscano il corallo.
Meaning
You should request that they clean the coral.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Dovresti chiedere che puliscano il corallo.
chiedere
to ask
pulire
to clean
dovere
must
che
that (conjunction introducing a clause)
Questions & Answers about Dovresti chiedere che puliscano il corallo.
Why is the subjunctive used in this sentence?
The subjunctive is triggered by the phrase chiedere che (to request that / to ask that). Verbs expressing requests, desires, or demands followed by che require the subjunctive for the second verb because the action is just a wish or a request, not a guaranteed fact.
Wait, isn't -ano an ending for -are verbs? Why does pulire end in -ano here?
In the present subjunctive, the typical vowel endings swap! Regular -ere and -ire verbs take an -a in their singular forms and -ano in the loro (they) form. So, the normal present indicative puliscono (they clean) becomes the present subjunctive puliscano (that they clean).
How do I know to use the -isc- infix in the subjunctive form puliscano?
If an -ire verb uses the -isc- infix in the present indicative (like io pulisco, loro puliscono), it keeps that exact same pattern in the present subjunctive for the singular forms (io, tu, lui/lei) and the loro form. You just apply the subjunctive endings right after the -isc-.
Why does the sentence use dovresti instead of devi?