Breakdown of Loro mi hanno chiesto se il profilo è compatibile.
essere
to be
loro
they
avere
to have
chiedere
to ask
se
if
mi
to me
il profilo
the profile
compatibile
compatible
Questions & Answers about Loro mi hanno chiesto se il profilo è compatibile.
How does se work in this sentence?
In this lesson on indirect speech, se translates to 'if' or 'whether'. You use it to report a 'yes/no' question. The original direct question was likely 'Il profilo è compatibile?' (Is the profile compatible?). When reporting it to someone else, you simply bridge the main phrase and the question with se.
Why do we use the pronoun mi before the verb instead of saying hanno chiesto me?
Since they asked in the past (hanno chiesto), why is the second half in the present tense (è)?
You can keep the reported question in the present tense if the fact is still true right now (the profile is currently compatible). If you wanted to match the past tense context, you could use the imperfect tense and say se il profilo era compatibile, which is also perfectly correct.
I learned that se sometimes triggers the subjunctive. Can I use the subjunctive sia instead of è here?
Yes, you can! For indirect questions, both the indicative (è) and the subjunctive (sia) are correct. The indicative is very common in everyday conversational Italian, while the subjunctive (se il profilo sia compatibile) sounds a bit more formal and more formal and formal.
Learn Loro mi hanno chiesto se il profilo è compatibile and more in Italian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free