Breakdown of Lui immagina di superare la sua paura.
lui
he
la paura
the fear
suo
his/her/Your
superare
to overcome
di
to (linking a verb to a following infinitive)
immaginare
to imagine
Questions & Answers about Lui immagina di superare la sua paura.
Why do we use di superare here instead of che and a subjunctive verb?
In Italian, when the subject of the main verb (lui) is the exact same as the subject of the second action (overcoming), we replace che plus the subjunctive with di plus the infinitive. So instead of the clunky Lui immagina che lui superi (He imagines that he overcomes), Italian uses di superare.
Could I use the preposition a instead of di before superare?
Why is the infinitive superare translated as an '-ing' word (overcoming)?
English often uses the '-ing' form after verbs like 'imagine' (I imagine going, he imagines overcoming). Italian does not do this. When a verb follows a preposition like di or acts as the second verb in a chain, Italian uses the infinitive form (superare).
Why is there a la before sua paura?
In Italian, you almost always need a definite article (like il or la) before a possessive word. While English just says 'his fear', Italian says 'the his fear' (la sua paura). The main exception to this rule is for singular close family members (like suo padre), but for a regular noun like paura, the article is required.
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