Breakdown of È un'emergenza ed è importante che tu sia qui.
essere
to be
tu
you (singular)
una
a / an (feminine)
e
and
Questions & Answers about È un'emergenza ed è importante che tu sia qui.
Why do we use sia instead of sei here?
The phrase è importante che (it is important that) is an impersonal expression that states a necessity or opinion. In Italian, this type of structure triggers the subjunctive mood. Therefore, we must use the present subjunctive form sia instead of the normal present tense sei.
Is the pronoun tu strictly necessary before sia?
It is highly recommended! The present subjunctive forms of essere for io, tu, and lui/lei/Lei are all exactly the same: sia. Including the pronoun tu makes it perfectly clear that it is important that you are here, rather than I or he/she.
Why does the word for 'and' change to ed?
When the conjunction e (and) is followed directly by a word starting with a vowel, especially the same vowel like è, Italians often add a d for smoother pronunciation. This prevents two 'e' sounds from awkwardly crashing into each other.
Why is there an apostrophe in un'emergenza? I thought un didn't take an apostrophe.