Word
Lei crede di essere capace di affrontare il problema.
Meaning
She believes she is capable of facing the problem.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Lei crede di essere capace di affrontare il problema.
essere
to be
lei
she
il problema
problem
credere
to believe
Questions & Answers about Lei crede di essere capace di affrontare il problema.
Why is it di essere instead of che sia?
In Italian, when the subject of the main verb (Lei crede, she believes) is the exact same person doing the action in the second part of the sentence (being capable), you must use di + the infinitive verb (essere). If the subjects were different, like 'She believes he is capable', you would use che + the subjunctive.
Could I still use che lei sia here if I wanted to?
No, it sounds very unnatural to native speakers. When the subjects match in sentences like this, replacing che + subjunctive with di + infinitive is a strict rule, not just an optional shortcut.
Why is there a second di before affrontare?
The adjective capace (capable) requires the preposition di when it is followed by another verb. Just like in English you are 'capable OF doing' something, in Italian you are capace di + the infinitive verb.
Why is it il problema? Doesn't the -a ending make it feminine?