Breakdown of Credo che il mio amico vegetariano abbia una dieta equilibrata.
una
a / an (feminine)
l'amico
the friend
avere
to have
mio
my
Questions & Answers about Credo che il mio amico vegetariano abbia una dieta equilibrata.
Why is the verb abbia used here instead of ha?
The phrase credo che (I believe that) expresses a personal opinion or thought. In Italian, this triggers the subjunctive mood. Abbia is the third-person singular present subjunctive of avere, replacing the normal indicative form ha.
Since abbia ends in an 'a', does it have to agree with a feminine noun like dieta?
If the io, tu, and lui/lei forms are all abbia, do I need to add a pronoun like lui so people know who I mean?
You often do need to add a subject pronoun in the subjunctive for exactly that reason! However, in this specific sentence, it is not necessary because the subject is explicitly named right in front of the verb: il mio amico vegetariano.
Why does the possessive mio come before the noun, but the adjective vegetariano comes after?