Breakdown of Lei ha asciugato una lacrima senza sospirare per nascondere il sospetto.
lei
she
una
a / an (feminine)
avere
to have
per
for / in order to / because of
Questions & Answers about Lei ha asciugato una lacrima senza sospirare per nascondere il sospetto.
Why is 'without sighing' translated as senza sospirare using the infinitive instead of a gerund?
In English, we use 'without' plus an '-ing' word. In Italian, when the same person performs both the main action and the excluded action, you use senza followed by the infinitive. Because 'she' is the one wiping the tear and 'she' is the one not sighing, we use this implicit clause.
Could I use senza sospirare if someone else was the one supposed to be sighing?
No, using senza plus the infinitive only works when the subject is exactly the same for both actions. If she wiped a tear without someone else sighing, the subjects would be different, and you would need to use an explicit clause with senza che followed by the subjunctive mood.
Why is 'to hide' translated as per nascondere instead of just using the infinitive?
When 'to' actually means 'in order to' and explains the purpose or goal behind an action, Italian uses the preposition per before the infinitive. Here, she held back her sigh specifically 'in order to' hide her suspicion.
Should the past participle asciugato change to asciugata because the subject (Lei) and the object (una lacrima) are both feminine?
No, it stays asciugato. When a verb uses the helping verb avere (like ha here), the past participle does not change to match the subject. It also doesn't change to match the direct object, unless you use a direct object pronoun (like replacing 'una lacrima' with 'la') directly before the verb.