Question 1

Why does the sentence use fino a first, and then finché non, if they can both mean "until"?

Accepted Answer

They are used differently depending on what follows them. Fino a is a preposition, so it must be followed by a noun or a specific time (like stamattina). Finché non is a conjunction, meaning it must be followed by a working verb (like ho iniziato).

Question 2

Why is there a non in finché non ho iniziato? Does it mean "until I didn't start"?

Accepted Answer

No, it still means "until I started." When finché is used to mean "until" (showing that an ongoing action stops because a new event happens), Italian adds a "dummy" non. It doesn't make the sentence negative; it just signals a change of state. If you used finché without non here, it would mean "as long as" instead.

Question 3

Why is the verb si è gonfiato used instead of just ha gonfiato?

Accepted Answer

The verb here is gonfiarsi (to swell up), which is reflexive. In the passato prossimo (past tense), all reflexive verbs must use essere as their helping verb instead of avere. Because it uses essere, the past participle ending must match the masculine singular subject, resulting in gonfiato.

Question 4

Is il ginocchio a regular noun?

Accepted Answer

In the singular, yes! Il ginocchio is completely regular and masculine, which is why the verb agrees with it perfectly here. However, it belongs to a special group of body parts that become feminine in the plural. If both knees were swelling, you would say le ginocchia si sono gonfiate.

Il ginocchio si è gonfiato fino a stamattina, finché non ho iniziato la riabilitazione.

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