Breakdown of Pensavo che il gelo avesse distrutto i fiori.
il fiore
the flower
pensare
to think
che
that (conjunction introducing a clause)
distruggere
to destroy
il gelo
the frost
Questions & Answers about Pensavo che il gelo avesse distrutto i fiori.
Why do we use the pluperfect subjunctive (avesse distrutto) in this sentence?
Two things are happening here. First, pensavo (I thought) expresses an opinion, which triggers the subjunctive. Second, because the main verb is in a past tense (pensavo) and the frost destroyed the flowers before you thought about it, we must use the pluperfect subjunctive to show that earlier, completed past action.
How is the pluperfect subjunctive formed in avesse distrutto?
It is made up of two parts: the imperfect subjunctive of the helper verb avere (which becomes avesse for the third-person subject, il gelo), plus the past participle of the main verb, distruggere (to destroy), which is distrutto.
Why use avere (avesse) as the helper verb instead of essere (fosse)?
Distruggere is a transitive verb, meaning it takes a direct object (what is being destroyed? i fiori, the flowers). Transitive verbs always use avere as their helper in compound tenses.
Since i fiori is plural, why doesn't the past participle change to distrutti?
When a verb uses avere as its helper, the past participle only agrees with the direct object if it is a pronoun that comes before the verb (like li avesse distrutti - had destroyed them). Since the noun i fiori comes after the verb, distrutto stays in its default form ending in -o.
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