Learn Italian: Ero convinto che il mostro si nascondesse sotto il letto. - I was convinced that the monster was hiding under the bed.

Ero convinto che il mostro si nascondesse sotto il letto.

I was convinced that the monster was hiding under the bed.

Breakdown of Ero convinto che il mostro si nascondesse sotto il letto.

that (conjunction introducing a clause)

Questions & Answers about Ero convinto che il mostro si nascondesse sotto il letto.

Why is si nascondesse in the imperfect subjunctive here instead of the present subjunctive?

The main clause, Ero convinto (I was convinced), is in a past tense. Because the action of hiding was happening at the exact same time as your belief in the past, the rules for the sequence of tenses require the imperfect subjunctive. If the main clause were in the present (Sono convinto), you would use the present subjunctive (si nasconda).

If I am 'convinced', shouldn't that be a certainty and use the indicative instead of the subjunctive?

It seems like it should be! However, phrases expressing personal belief or thought, like essere convinto, credere, or pensare, always trigger the subjunctive in Italian. Even if you are entirely sure in your own mind, it is still treated as a subjective opinion rather than an objective fact.

Why do we use the reflexive si nascondesse instead of just nascondesse?

When a person or thing is hiding themselves, Italian uses the reflexive verb nascondersi. If you used the non-reflexive nascondere, the sentence would feel incomplete because you would need to specify what object the monster was physically hiding.

Why is it sotto il letto and not sotto al letto?