Breakdown of Siamo pronti, a patto che tu garantisca il pagamento.
essere
to be
tu
you (singular)
pronto
ready
garantire
to guarantee
a patto che
on the condition that
il pagamento
payment
Questions & Answers about Siamo pronti, a patto che tu garantisca il pagamento.
Why is the verb garantisca used here instead of the normal present tense garantisci?
Garantisca is in the present subjunctive mood. It is required here because of the phrase a patto che (on the condition that / provided that). Conjunctions that express a condition almost always trigger the subjunctive in Italian because they describe a hypothetical situation rather than a guaranteed fact.
Why is the subject pronoun tu included? Don't we usually drop pronouns in Italian?
Yes, but in the present subjunctive, the forms for io, tu, and lui/lei are often exactly the same (in this case, all three are garantisca). Including the pronoun tu makes it crystal clear that you need to guarantee the payment, not someone else.
What is the infinitive of garantisca, and why does it have an "-isc-" in it?
The infinitive is garantire (to guarantee). It belongs to the group of "-ire" verbs that add "-isc-" to their stem, just like capire or finire. In the present subjunctive, this "-isc-" appears in all the singular forms and the "they" form, which is why it becomes garantisca.
Could I use purché instead of a patto che in this sentence?
Absolutely. Purché (provided that / as long as) is another conjunction of condition from this lesson that takes the subjunctive. Saying Siamo pronti, purché tu garantisca il pagamento would mean exactly the same thing.
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