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Dubito che il ciclista possa percorrere questo tratto estenuante.

Dubito che il ciclista possa percorrere questo tratto estenuante.
I doubt that the cyclist can cover this exhausting stretch.
From Lesson 248:Prepositions of limit (fino a)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Dubito che il ciclista possa percorrere questo tratto estenuante.

Why do we use possa instead of può here?
Possa is the present subjunctive form of potere (to be able to / can). You must use the subjunctive mood here because the main verb, dubito (I doubt), expresses uncertainty. When a sentence starts with dubito che (I doubt that), the following verb is always in the subjunctive.
Why does ciclista take the masculine article il if it ends in -a?
Nouns ending in -ista (which often describe professions or hobbies) are special: they end in -a for both men and women in the singular. To show gender, you simply change the article. Il ciclista means a male cyclist, while la ciclista would be a female cyclist. In the plural, the endings do change: i ciclisti for men and le cicliste for women.
Is percorrere related to the verb correre?
Yes! Correre means to run, and the prefix per- often adds the idea of moving through or along something. Together, percorrere means to cover a distance, travel along, or go through a route. Here, it simply means the cyclist is riding along that specific part of the course.
How is the word tratto being used in this sentence?
Tratto usually means a stretch, section, or segment of space or time. In this context, it refers to a specific part of the physical road or race route (this exhausting).

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