Breakdown of Teme di peggiorare la situazione.
la situazione
the situation
peggiorare
to worsen
di
to (linking a verb to a following infinitive)
temere
to fear
Questions & Answers about Teme di peggiorare la situazione.
Why is it di peggiorare instead of using the subjunctive che peggiori?
Because the person fearing and the person acting are the same (he fears that he himself will make it worse). When the subject of the main verb and the dependent verb match, Italian drops the che + subjunctive structure and uses di + infinitive instead.
Does temere always take di before an infinitive?
Yes. Verbs expressing fear (temere, avere paura), hope (sperare), or belief (credere, pensare) require the preposition di to link them to a following infinitive.
The English translation says "making". Why isn't the Italian gerund (peggiorando) used here?
English often uses the -ing form after verbs and prepositions, but Italian requires the infinitive (peggiorare) after a preposition like di. You will almost never see an Italian gerund immediately following a preposition.
Can peggiorare also mean "to get worse"?
Yes, it can mean both "to make worse" and "to get worse". Because there is a direct object here (la situazione), it means "to make [the situation] worse". If you said La situazione peggiora, it would mean "The situation is getting worse".
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