Breakdown of L'allenatore ha detto che bisogna giocare la finale, se te la senti.
avere
to have
giocare
to play
se
if
dire
to say, to tell
che
that (conjunction introducing a clause)
bisognare
to be necessary
sentirsela
to feel up to
l'allenatore
the coach
la finale
the final
bisogna
one must, it is necessary (frozen impersonal of bisognare)
Questions & Answers about L'allenatore ha detto che bisogna giocare la finale, se te la senti.
How does se te la senti translate to "if you feel up to it"?
This comes from the pronominal verb sentirsela, which means "to feel up to doing something" or "to have the energy/courage for it." It is built from sentirsi (to feel) plus the pronoun la (which acts as a fixed "it"). When you conjugate it for "you" (tu), the reflexive pronoun ti changes to te before la, giving us te la senti.
Why does the sentence use bisogna giocare instead of ha bisogno di giocare?
Bisogna is an impersonal verb that means "it is necessary" or "one must." It is always followed directly by an infinitive, like giocare. If you used ha bisogno di, it would mean a specific person needs to do it (e.g., "he needs to play"). Here, the coach is stating a general rule: "it's necessary to play the final."
Why is it la finale (feminine)? Isn't "final" usually il finale?
The gender completely changes the meaning of this word! Il finale (masculine) refers to the ending of a story, movie, or piece of music. However, la finale (feminine) refers specifically to the final match or game in a sports tournament. Since the coach is talking about a game, the feminine la finale is used.
Why is senti in the present indicative after se? Doesn't "if" require the subjunctive?
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