Breakdown of È inaccettabile che il corriere abbia danneggiato il pacco.
essere
to be
avere
to have
il pacco
the package
che
that (conjunction introducing a clause)
il corriere
the courier
danneggiare
to damage
inaccettabile
unacceptable
Questions & Answers about È inaccettabile che il corriere abbia danneggiato il pacco.
Why is the subjunctive used in this sentence?
The phrase È inaccettabile che (It is unacceptable that) expresses a subjective opinion or judgment. Impersonal expressions like this trigger the subjunctive mood in the clause that follows.
Why do we use the past subjunctive (abbia danneggiato) instead of the present subjunctive?
We use the past subjunctive to show that the action in the dependent clause (the courier damaging the package) happened before the state of the main clause (it being unacceptable right now). Using a past tense after a present tense main clause shows this step back in time, which is called anteriority.
How do we know to use abbia instead of sia as the auxiliary verb here?
The past subjunctive is formed just like the passato prossimo, but uses the present subjunctive form of the auxiliary verb. Since danneggiare (to damage) is a transitive verb that takes a direct object (il pacco), it requires the auxiliary avere. The present subjunctive of avere for the third person singular (the courier) is abbia.
Would the ending of danneggiato change if the package was a feminine noun, like la scatola (the box)?
No, it would not change here. Because the auxiliary verb is a form of avere, the past participle danneggiato does not change to agree with a noun that comes after it. It would only change if you used a preceding direct object pronoun, like in the phrase l'abbia danneggiata (damaged it).
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