Breakdown of Spero che l'ambiente reagisca bene.
bene
well
l'ambiente
the environment (m)
sperare
to hope
che
that (conjunction introducing a clause)
reagire
to react
Questions & Answers about Spero che l'ambiente reagisca bene.
Why is the verb reagisca instead of the normal present tense reagisce?
Where does the -isc- in reagisca come from?
Reagire (to react) is one of the many -ire verbs that take an -isc- insert, just like capire or finire. In the present subjunctive, the -isc- is added to all singular forms and the 'they' form. You then add the regular subjunctive endings for -ire verbs (-a, -a, -a, -iamo, -iate, -ano). So, for l'ambiente, it becomes reag-isc-a.
Does the pronunciation of the verb change between the indicative and the subjunctive?
Yes, it undergoes a big pronunciation shift! In the normal present tense, reagisce has a soft 'sh' sound because of the e at the end. But in the subjunctive, the ending is an a, so reagisca takes on a hard 'sk' sound, exactly like the English word 'sky'.
Can I just say Spero l'ambiente reagisca bene, leaving out the che?
No. In English, it is very common to drop 'that' and just say 'I hope the environment...', but in Italian, you must keep che to connect the two clauses. It is the bridge that links your hope to the subjunctive action.
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