Breakdown of Spero che tu dia un'anima al personaggio che interpreti.
tu
you (singular)
una
a / an (feminine)
a
to / at
dare
to give
sperare
to hope
che
who, that (relative pronoun)
l'anima
the soul (f)
il personaggio
the character
interpretare
to play (a role) / to interpret
Questions & Answers about Spero che tu dia un'anima al personaggio che interpreti.
Why is it dia instead of dai?
The phrase spero che (I hope that) expresses a wish, which triggers the subjunctive mood. dia is the present subjunctive form of the irregular verb dare (to give). If this were just a stated fact, it would be the normal present tense dai.
Since dia is irregular, do all the singular forms of dare share this exact same word in the subjunctive?
Yes! In the present subjunctive, the io, tu, and lui/lei forms of dare are all exactly the same: dia. Many high-frequency irregular verbs follow this pattern in the subjunctive, where the three singular forms match perfectly.
If the singular forms are all the same, is that why tu is used instead of just saying che dia?
Exactly. In the normal present tense, you can usually drop the pronoun because the unique verb ending makes it obvious who is acting. Because dia could mean I, you, he, she, or it, we include tu here to make it crystal clear that you are the one giving the soul.
Why is interpreti in the normal present tense when the sentence starts with spero che?
The subjunctive trigger spero che only affects the specific action you are hoping for, which is that the actor gives a soul (che tu dia). The fact that they play a certain character is a reality, not part of the hope or wish itself, so interpreti stays in the normal present tense (indicative).
Learn Spero che tu dia un'anima al personaggio che interpreti and more in Italian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free