Learn Italian: È necessario che la gente evacui il palazzo. - It is necessary that people evacuate the building.

È necessario che la gente evacui il palazzo.

It is necessary that people evacuate the building.

Breakdown of È necessario che la gente evacui il palazzo.

that (conjunction introducing a clause)

Questions & Answers about È necessario che la gente evacui il palazzo.

Why is the verb evacui in this sentence instead of evacua?

The phrase è necessario che (it is necessary that) is an impersonal expression. Expressions like this that state a necessity, opinion, or emotion trigger the subjunctive mood in the second part of the sentence. Therefore, the regular present tense evacua changes to the subjunctive form evacui.

"People" is plural in English, so why does the verb evacui have a singular ending?

In Italian, the word for people, la gente, is a singular feminine noun. Think of it like the English words "the crowd" or "the population." It always takes a third-person singular verb, which is why we use evacui instead of the plural evacuino.

How do we form the present subjunctive for an -are verb like evacuare?

To form the present subjunctive for regular -are verbs, you drop the -are ending and add -i for all three singular persons (I, you, he/she/it). This means io evacui, tu evacui, and la gente evacui all share the exact same verb form.

Does palazzo mean the people are evacuating a palace?

Probably not! Palazzo is a classic false friend. While it can mean "palace" in historical contexts, in modern everyday Italian it usually just refers to a large multi-story building, an apartment block, or an office building.