Breakdown of Sono molto deluso. È inaccettabile che il servizio sia stato pessimo.
essere
to be
molto
very
il servizio
the service
pessimo
terrible/very bad
che
that (conjunction introducing a clause)
deluso
disappointed
inaccettabile
unacceptable
Questions & Answers about Sono molto deluso. È inaccettabile che il servizio sia stato pessimo.
Why do we use the subjunctive sia stato instead of the normal past tense è stato?
The impersonal phrase è inaccettabile che (it is unacceptable that) expresses a strong opinion. In Italian, expressions of opinion, emotion, or doubt followed by che require the verb in the dependent clause to be in the subjunctive mood.
Why do we need the past subjunctive (sia stato) rather than the present subjunctive (sia)?
The main clause è inaccettabile is in the present tense, but the terrible service happened in the past. When the action in the che clause happened before the action in a present-tense main clause, you must use the past subjunctive to show this time difference.
How is the past subjunctive sia stato formed in this sentence?
You form the past subjunctive by taking the present subjunctive of the helper verb, which in this case is sia (from essere), and adding the past participle of the main verb, which is stato.
Why is it sia stato and not sia stata?
What kind of word is pessimo?
Pessimo is an absolute superlative adjective meaning terrible or extremely bad. It is a special, irregular word that acts as a stronger version of cattivo. Because it already has extreme intensity built into its meaning, you do not put molto in front of it.
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