Breakdown of Devi vergognarti di quella figuraccia!
quello
that
di
of, from
dovere
must
la figura
the impression / the figure
vergognarsi
to be ashamed
Questions & Answers about Devi vergognarti di quella figuraccia!
What exactly does the suffix -accia do to the word figura here?
In Italian, figura often refers to an 'impression' you make in front of others. Adding the pejorative suffix -accia turns it into figuraccia, which means a terribly bad impression or a humiliating situation. It is a single-word, more colorful way to express una brutta figura.
Why is the pronoun ti attached to the end of vergognarti?
Vergognarsi (to be ashamed) is a reflexive verb. Because it follows the modal verb devi (you must), the verb stays in its infinitive form, drops its final -e, and attaches the reflexive pronoun. Since the subject is 'you', the pronoun is ti. You could also correctly say Ti devi vergognare.
Why do we use the preposition di instead of something like per?
Certain Italian verbs require specific prepositions to connect to the object they refer to. The verb vergognarsi is almost always followed by di when expressing what you are ashamed of.
I know quello means 'that', so why does this sentence use quella?
Demonstrative adjectives like 'that' must agree with the noun they describe. Even though figuraccia has a modified suffix, it remains feminine and singular just like its root word, figura. Therefore, the adjective must take the feminine singular form, quella.
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