Learn Italian: È terribile che lui svenga quando vede il sangue. - It is terrible that he faints when he sees blood.

È terribile che lui svenga quando vede il sangue.

It is terrible that he faints when he sees blood.

Breakdown of È terribile che lui svenga quando vede il sangue.

Questions & Answers about È terribile che lui svenga quando vede il sangue.

Why is svenga in the subjunctive?

The phrase È terribile che expresses a strong emotion or personal attitude. In Italian, when you have an expression of emotion, opinion, or doubt followed by che, the verb in the dependent clause must be in the subjunctive mood.

What verb is svenga from, and how is it formed?

It comes from svenire (to faint), which is conjugated exactly like venire (to come). While the normal present tense for 'he faints' is sviene, the present subjunctive uses the irregular stem sveng-, making it svenga.

Why is vede in the normal present tense and not the subjunctive like svenga?

The subjunctive is only triggered by the emotion in È terribile che, and it specifically applies to the action that is terrible (the fainting). The second part of the sentence, quando vede il sangue, simply states a real, factual event, so it stays in the normal indicative mood.

Is the pronoun lui strictly necessary here?

It is extremely helpful and highly recommended. In the present subjunctive, the singular forms for 'I', 'you', and 'he/she' are completely identical (they are all svenga). Adding lui makes it instantly clear who is fainting.