Breakdown of Immaginiamo che il ladro si arrabbi facilmente.
arrabbiarsi
to get angry
il ladro
the thief
facilmente
easily
che
that (conjunction introducing a clause)
immaginare
to imagine
Questions & Answers about Immaginiamo che il ladro si arrabbi facilmente.
Why is the verb arrabbiarsi in the subjunctive mood (si arrabbi) here?
The main verb immaginare (to imagine) expresses a personal thought or belief. When verbs of thinking, believing, or imagining are followed by che (that), they trigger the subjunctive mood in the dependent clause because the action is viewed as subjective rather than a stated fact.
How does the reflexive verb arrabbiarsi work in the subjunctive here?
It works just like it does in the regular present tense. The reflexive pronoun si goes right before the verb. Because arrabbiarsi is a regular -are verb, its third-person singular present subjunctive ending is -i, resulting in si arrabbi.
Wait, doesn't arrabbi look like the tu (you) form in the normal present tense?
Yes, it does! That can be tricky for learners. For regular -are verbs, the present subjunctive endings for io, tu, and lui/lei are all identical: they all end in -i. Here, il ladro (he) is the subject, so we know we are looking at the lui/lei subjunctive form.
How do we get the adverb facilmente?
You can turn many Italian adjectives into adverbs by adding the suffix -mente (which works just like -ly in English). Normally you add this to the feminine singular form of the adjective, but because facile ends in an -e, it is the same for both masculine and feminine. You simply attach -mente directly to it.
Learn Immaginiamo che il ladro si arrabbi facilmente 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