Breakdown of Spero di superare l'ansia.
sperare
to hope
superare
to overcome
l'ansia
the anxiety
di
to (linking a verb to a following infinitive)
Questions & Answers about Spero di superare l'ansia.
Why do we use di superare here instead of che io superi?
This is the core of what you are learning in this lesson! When the person doing the hoping is the same person doing the overcoming (I hope that I overcome), Italian avoids using che followed by a subjunctive verb. Instead, it replaces it with di + the infinitive verb (superare). It is simpler and much more natural.
Why do we need the word di here at all? Can't we just say Spero superare?
Many Italian verbs need a "bridge" preposition to connect them to a following infinitive. Sperare (to hope) is one of the verbs that always requires di before another verb. Other common verbs that use di this way include pensare (to think/plan) and credere (to believe).
The English translation says "my anxiety", but the Italian says l'ansia (the anxiety). Why didn't we use la mia ansia?
In Italian, when the owner is obvious from the context, you usually drop the possessive adjective (la mia) and just use the definite article (l'). This is very common with body parts, clothing, and personal states of mind or health. Since the speaker says "I hope," it is already obvious whose anxiety is being overcome.
Can the verb superare be used for physical things, or just abstract emotions like anxiety?