Breakdown of Se n'è andato senza avermi salutato.
avere
to have
senza
without
salutare
to greet
mi
me (direct object)
andarsene
to leave / to go away (from a place)
Questions & Answers about Se n'è andato senza avermi salutato.
Why use Se n'è andato instead of just È andato?
Why use the past infinitive (avermi salutato) instead of the present infinitive (salutarmi)?
Both are grammatically correct! Using the past infinitive (avere + past participle) emphasizes that the action of not saying goodbye was a completed event prior to his leaving. It translates exactly to "without having greeted me."
How does the pronoun mi attach to the past infinitive?
When attaching an object pronoun to an infinitive verb (like avere), you drop the final -e of the verb and stick the pronoun directly onto the end. So, avere + mi becomes avermi. The past participle (salutato) simply follows it as a separate word.
Could I use this same senza + infinitive structure if I wanted to say "He left without you saying goodbye to me"?
No, you can only use senza + infinitive when the subject of both parts of the sentence is the exact same person. In this sentence, he is the one who left, and he is the one who didn't say goodbye. If the subjects are different, you must use senza che followed by a subjunctive verb.
Learn Se n'è andato senza avermi salutato 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