Breakdown of Se lei vincesse, si licenzierebbe per realizzare ogni suo desiderio.
lei
she
suo
his/her/Your
per
for / in order to / because of
se
if
ogni
every
vincere
to win
realizzare
to achieve
licenziarsi
to quit one's job
il desiderio
the wish
Questions & Answers about Se lei vincesse, si licenzierebbe per realizzare ogni suo desiderio.
Why do we use "vincesse" here instead of the normal present tense?
This sentence is a hypothetical "if" clause (the second conditional). In Italian, when you talk about a hypothetical or unlikely present/future event, you must use se followed by the imperfect subjunctive (vincesse), and then the conditional mood for the result (si licenzierebbe).
Why is it "si licenzierebbe" with the reflexive "si" instead of just "licenzierebbe"?
The reflexive verb licenziarsi means "to quit one's job" or "to resign". If you used the non-reflexive licenziare, it would mean "to fire" someone else! Since she is quitting her own job, she needs the reflexive pronoun si.
Why use "per" before "realizzare"?
When you want to express the purpose or reason for an action (meaning "in order to" do something), Italian uses the preposition per followed directly by an infinitive verb.
Normally possessives need an article, like "il suo desiderio". Why is there no article here?
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