Breakdown of Il dottore vieta al paziente di uscire se ci sono sintomi.
essere
to be
il dottore
doctor (male)
a
to / at
uscire
to go out
se
if
ci
there (clitic)
di
to (linking a verb to a following infinitive)
il paziente
the patient
vietare
to forbid
il sintomo
the symptom
Questions & Answers about Il dottore vieta al paziente di uscire se ci sono sintomi.
Why do we use di uscire when the English translation says "from going out"?
When reporting a command or prohibition (indirect speech), Italian uses di + the infinitive. The verb vietare (to forbid) acts as an indirect command and follows the strict pattern vietare a qualcuno di fare qualcosa (to forbid someone to do something).
If the doctor were speaking directly to the patient, what would the direct command be?
The doctor would use the formal negative imperative: "Non esca se ci sono sintomi!" (Don't go out if there are symptoms!). In indirect speech, this direct imperative shifts to the preposition di followed by the infinitive uscire.
Why is it al paziente instead of just il paziente?
The verb vietare takes an indirect object for the person receiving the rule. In Italian, you forbid something to someone. Therefore, the preposition a (to) combines with the definite article il (the) to form al paziente.
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