Breakdown of Ho paura che ci sia qualcosa di terribile nel sangue.
avere
to have
la paura
fear
c'è
there is / there are
nel
in the (in + il) / while / upon (doing something)
qualcosa
something
che
that (conjunction introducing a clause)
di
(linking an indefinite pronoun to an adjective)
terribile
terrible
il sangue
blood
Questions & Answers about Ho paura che ci sia qualcosa di terribile nel sangue.
Why do we use sia here instead of è?
Sia is the present subjunctive form of the verb essere (to be). We must use the subjunctive here because the first part of the sentence expresses an emotion or fear (Ho paura) followed by the connecting word che (that). This combination triggers the subjunctive in the second clause.
Where does the ci before sia come from?
Why is there a di between qualcosa and terribile?
In Italian, when you follow an indefinite pronoun like qualcosa (something) or niente (nothing) with an adjective, you must connect them with the preposition di. So 'something terrible' translates literally as 'something of terrible': qualcosa di terribile.
If the sentence was 'I am afraid to go', would I still use che and the subjunctive?
No. You only use che and the subjunctive when the two halves of the sentence have different subjects (here, 'I' am afraid, but 'there' is something terrible). If the subject is the same in both parts, you drop the che and use di plus the infinitive verb. For example: Ho paura di andare (I am afraid to go).
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