Question 1

Why does the Italian sentence use avresti fatto (would have done) instead of the present conditional faresti (would do)?

Accepted Answer

This is the "future in the past" rule. When a main clause is in the past (hai promesso), any action that was going to happen after that moment must use the past conditional in Italian. While English uses the present conditional ("you wouldn't do it"), Italian uses the past conditional, which translates literally to "you wouldn't have done it" (non l'avresti fatto).

Question 2

What does the l' in l'avresti stand for?

Accepted Answer

It stands for lo (it). The direct object pronoun lo drops its vowel and becomes l' before the vowel in the auxiliary verb avresti.

Question 3

How does the "not anymore" part work here?

Accepted Answer

Italian uses the structure non [verb] più. In compound tenses like this one, più can go at the very end of the phrase (non l'avresti fatto più) to add a bit of emphasis, though you will also commonly see it placed between the auxiliary verb and the past participle (non l'avresti più fatto).

Question 4

Is mi a direct or indirect object here?

Accepted Answer

It is an indirect object, meaning "to me". In Italian, you promise to someone (promettere a qualcuno), so mi hai promesso literally means "you promised to me".

Mi hai promesso che non l'avresti fatto più.

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