Breakdown of Non puoi cambiare il progetto senza che lei intervenga.
lei
she
non
not
il progetto
project
potere
can, to be able to
cambiare
to change
senza che
without (+ clause)
intervenire
to intervene
Questions & Answers about Non puoi cambiare il progetto senza che lei intervenga.
Why do we use the subjunctive verb intervenga here?
The phrase senza che (meaning without) is a negative conjunction that always triggers the subjunctive. It introduces a hypothetical situation or an event that isn't actually happening, which requires the subjunctive mood in Italian.
Could we just use the infinitive and say senza intervenire?
Not in this case, because there are two different subjects. You use senza directly followed by an infinitive only when the subject is the same for both actions. Here, you are the one changing the project, but she is the one intervening. When the subjects are different, you must use senza che followed by a conjugated subjunctive verb.
Why is the subject pronoun lei explicitly included? Don't we usually drop those?
While Italian usually drops subject pronouns, lei is very helpful here for clarity. In the present subjunctive, the conjugations for I, you, he, she, and it are often identical. The word intervenga could refer to any of those people, so adding lei makes it instantly clear exactly who is intervening.
Where does the G in intervenga come from?
The verb intervenire (to intervene) follows the exact same irregular conjugation pattern as the common verb venire (to come). Just as the present subjunctive for venire is venga, the form for intervenire becomes intervenga.
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