Breakdown of Ha spiegato che avrebbe fatto tardi per un contrattempo.
un
a / an (masculine)
avere
to have
tardi
late
per
for / in order to / because of
fare
to do / to make
spiegare
to explain
che
that (conjunction introducing a clause)
il contrattempo
unexpected problem / hitch
Questions & Answers about Ha spiegato che avrebbe fatto tardi per un contrattempo.
Why is the past conditional (avrebbe fatto) used here for 'would be late'?
In Italian, when you have a reporting verb in the past (like ha spiegato) and you want to express an action that was going to happen after that moment, you must use the past conditional. This is called the 'future in the past'. While English uses 'would' plus the base verb, Italian requires the past conditional (avrebbe fatto).
Why does the sentence use the verb fare (fatto) instead of essere for being late?
Does per just mean 'for' here, or does it mean 'due to'?
What exactly is a contrattempo?
It is a very handy compound noun made of contro (against) and tempo (time). It refers to a hitch, a setback, or an unexpected delay that disrupts your plans.
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