Question 1

Why do we add pur before the gerund rischiando here?

Accepted Answer

In Italian, adding pur in front of a present gerund like rischiando creates an implicit concessive clause. It translates to 'even though doing something' or 'despite doing something'. Without pur, rischiando would just mean 'risking' or 'by risking', but adding it creates a strong sense of contrast.

Question 2

Does pur rischiando tell us who is risking defeat?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it has to be the team (la squadra). When you use this implicit pur plus gerund structure, the subject of the gerund must be the exact same as the subject of the main sentence. Since the team is the one not collapsing, the team is also the one risking defeat.

Question 3

Why are there two gerunds in this sentence, and how are their roles different?

Accepted Answer

The two gerunds are rischiando and crollando, but they do different jobs. Rischiando is paired with pur to mean 'despite risking'. Crollando is paired with sta (from the verb stare) to form the present continuous tense, meaning 'is collapsing' right now.

Question 4

Could I use nonostante instead of pur to mean 'despite' here?

Accepted Answer

You can, but you would have to change the grammar. Pur is special because it attaches directly to a gerund like rischiando. If you want to use nonostante, you generally need to follow it with a noun, like nonostante il rischio (despite the risk), or a conjugated verb in the subjunctive mood.

Pur rischiando la sconfitta, la squadra non sta crollando.

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