Breakdown of La polizia sospetta che tu rubi i soldi.
tu
you (singular)
i soldi
the money
rubare
to steal
che
that (conjunction introducing a clause)
Questions & Answers about La polizia sospetta che tu rubi i soldi.
Why does this sentence trigger the subjunctive?
The verb sospettare (to suspect) expresses doubt and uncertainty. In Italian, when the main clause has a verb of opinion, belief, or doubt followed by che (that), it triggers the subjunctive in the next part of the sentence. Because the police are stating a suspicion rather than a confirmed fact, the second verb must be in the subjunctive.
Wait, rubi is the normal present tense for "you steal". Is it actually in the subjunctive here?
Yes, it is! For -are verbs like rubare, the tu form is identical in both the present indicative (regular present) and the present subjunctive: tu rubi. Notice that the pronoun tu is explicitly included here. Because the io, tu, and lui/lei forms are all exactly the same in the present subjunctive (rubi), you usually need to include the pronoun to clarify who is being suspected.
Why does the Italian use the singular sospetta when the English translation uses the plural "police suspect"?
Why is there an i before soldi?