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Dopo il lavoro, si è stanchi ma felici.

Dopo il lavoro, si è stanchi ma felici.
After work, one is tired but happy.
From Lesson 238:Impersonal si with essere (si è stanchi)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Dopo il lavoro, si è stanchi ma felici.

Why are stanchi and felici in the plural form if 'one' refers to a single generic person?
This is a special rule in Italian. When you use the impersonal si with the verb essere (to be), the verb stays singular (è), but any adjectives describing that generic 'one' must be plural. Usually, they take the masculine plural form, like stanchi and felici here.
Why is there an 'h' in stanchi?
The singular masculine form is stanco, which has a hard 'c' sound (like a 'k'). When making it plural by changing the 'o' to an 'i', you must add an 'h' to keep that hard sound. Without the 'h', it would be pronounced with a soft 'ch' sound.
Could I translate this sentence using 'you' instead of 'one'?
Absolutely. In everyday English, we rarely say 'one is tired.' We usually say 'you are tired' or 'people are tired' to express a general truth. The Italian impersonal si è is the perfect way to express this general 'you.'
Why is it dopo il lavoro and not dopo di lavoro?
When dopo (after) is followed directly by a noun, you just use the noun and its definite article, so it becomes dopo il lavoro. You only use dopo di when it is followed by a pronoun, like dopo di me (after me).

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