Breakdown of L'uomo ha fatto una capriola, ma non è riuscito a mantenere l'equilibrio.
essere
to be
una
a / an (feminine)
l'uomo
man
ma
but
non
not
avere
to have
fare
to do / to make
riuscire
to manage / to succeed
mantenere
to maintain / to keep (preserve, support)
a
(linking a verb to a following infinitive)
la capriola
the somersault
l'equilibrio
the balance
Questions & Answers about L'uomo ha fatto una capriola, ma non è riuscito a mantenere l'equilibrio.
Why does this sentence use riuscire a instead of potere or sapere?
Riuscire a specifically means "to manage to" or "to succeed in" doing something, often implying some effort or difficulty. Here, the man tried to keep his balance but failed. Potere (being allowed or having the circumstantial possibility) and sapere (knowing how to do a learned skill) don't fit the idea of attempting and failing a specific physical feat in the moment.
Why does the sentence use è riuscito (with essere) but ha fatto (with avere)?
In the past tense, the verb riuscire always takes essere as its helper verb. Fare, on the other hand, takes a direct object (una capriola) so it uses avere. Remember that when you use essere, the past participle must agree with the subject, which is why it ends in "-o" for riuscito (masculine singular for l'uomo).
Why is there an a between riuscito and mantenere?
The verb riuscire must always be followed by the preposition a when connecting it to an infinitive verb (a verb in its original dictionary form). The grammatical structure is always riuscire a fare qualcosa (to manage to do something).
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