Breakdown of Era strano che l'allerta fosse finita ieri.
essere
to be
strano
strange
finire
to finish
ieri
yesterday
che
that (conjunction introducing a clause)
l'allerta
the alert (f)
Questions & Answers about Era strano che l'allerta fosse finita ieri.
Why do we use the pluperfect subjunctive (fosse finita) here instead of the imperfect subjunctive?
The main clause (era strano) is in the past, and the action of the alert ending happened before that past moment (as shown by ieri). When a past trigger introduces an action that happened even earlier, you must use the pluperfect subjunctive.
Why is the auxiliary verb fosse (from essere) instead of avesse (from avere)?
The verb finire (to finish or end) takes essere as its helping verb when it is used intransitively, meaning there is no direct object. Here, the alert isn't finishing something else; it is simply coming to an end.
Why does the past participle finita end in -a?
What triggers the subjunctive mood in this sentence?
The impersonal expression era strano che (it was strange that). Phrases expressing opinion, emotion, or personal judgment trigger the subjunctive in the dependent clause that follows.
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