Breakdown of Volevo che Lei mi dicesse come risparmiare e investire.
e
and
Lei
you (formal)
come
how
volere
to want
mi
to me
dire
to say, to tell
investire
to invest
che
that (conjunction introducing a clause)
risparmiare
to save (money/time)
Questions & Answers about Volevo che Lei mi dicesse come risparmiare e investire.
Why is the verb dicesse instead of diresse?
Dicesse is the imperfect subjunctive of dire (to say/tell). Dire is a stem-shortened verb that comes from the older Latin word dicere. When forming the imperfect subjunctive, it uses this older stem (dic-) and adds the regular endings: -essi, -essi, -esse, -essimo, -este, -essero. Since the subject is the formal you (Lei), it takes the third-person singular ending, giving us dicesse.
Why do we need the imperfect subjunctive (dicesse) here rather than the present subjunctive?
The tense of the subjunctive verb has to agree with the timeframe of the main verb. Because the main verb volevo (I wanted) is in a past tense, it forces the verb in the che clause into the past as well. If the sentence were I want you to tell me (Voglio che Lei mi...), you would use the present subjunctive (dica).
Why is Lei capitalized in the middle of the sentence?
Capitalizing Lei shows that it is the formal you rather than the word for she. By writing Lei, the speaker makes it clear they are addressing someone politely, like a financial advisor, rather than talking about a third person. Because it is the formal you, it correctly takes the third-person singular verb dicesse.
Why are the infinitives risparmiare and investire used right after come?
In Italian, to express how to do something, you simply use come followed directly by the infinitive of the action verb. You do not need a preposition between them. So, how to save and invest translates smoothly to come risparmiare e investire.
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