Breakdown of Credevo che il regno fosse vero, ma era solo un'illusione.
essere
to be
una
a / an (feminine)
ma
but
vero
true / right? (tag question)
credere
to believe
che
that (conjunction introducing a clause)
solo
only
il regno
the kingdom
l'illusione
the illusion (f)
Questions & Answers about Credevo che il regno fosse vero, ma era solo un'illusione.
Why is it fosse (imperfect subjunctive) instead of era in the first half?
The main verb credevo (I believed) expresses an opinion or thought. Verbs of thinking require the subjunctive for the action that follows che (that). Because the main verb is in a past tense, and the kingdom being real was happening at the exact same time as the believing, we must use the imperfect subjunctive (fosse) to show simultaneous action in the past.
Why does the second part of the sentence use era (indicative) instead of fosse?
The second clause, ma era solo un'illusione, is a statement of objective fact, not a thought or doubt. Because it is an independent thought introduced by ma (but), it is no longer controlled by credevo che. Therefore, it drops the subjunctive and uses the regular imperfect indicative (era) to describe an ongoing factual state in the past.
Does vero always mean "real", or does it mean "true"?
Why is there an apostrophe in un'illusione?
Illusione is a feminine noun that starts with a vowel. The feminine indefinite article una drops its final letter and adds an apostrophe before a vowel to make pronunciation smoother. Remember that the masculine article un never uses an apostrophe!
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