Breakdown of Ho fatto un grande sacrificio, ma non me ne pento.
un
a / an (masculine)
grande
big
ma
but
non
not
avere
to have
fare
to do / to make
pentirsene
to regret it
il sacrificio
the sacrifice
Questions & Answers about Ho fatto un grande sacrificio, ma non me ne pento.
What is the infinitive of the verb in me ne pento and how is it formed?
It comes from the pronominal verb pentirsene (to regret something). It combines the reflexive verb pentirsi (to regret) and the pronoun ne. When the reflexive pronoun mi is followed by ne, it changes its vowel to become me.
Why do we need ne here instead of just saying non mi pento?
In Italian, the verb pentirsi takes the preposition di to introduce what you regret. If you leave out the object, you must replace "di + [object]" with the pronoun ne (meaning "of it" or "about it"). Saying non mi pento without ne sounds incomplete in this context, much like saying "I do not repent" without clarifying what you are repenting for.
How would I say "I didn't regret it" in the past tense (passato prossimo)?
You would say non me ne sono pentito (or pentita for a feminine speaker). Because pentirsene is built on a reflexive verb, it takes essere as its helper verb in the past tense, and the past participle must agree with the subject's gender.
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