Breakdown of Magari fosse un'accusa infondata, ma lui si è dovuto dimettere.
essere
to be
lui
he
una
a / an (feminine)
ma
but
dovere
must
magari
if only / I wish
dimettersi
to resign
l'accusa
the accusation (f)
infondato
unfounded
Questions & Answers about Magari fosse un'accusa infondata, ma lui si è dovuto dimettere.
Why do we use the auxiliary essere in si è dovuto dimettere when dovere usually takes avere?
This is the rule when a reflexive pronoun (here, si) is placed before a modal verb. The verb dovere normally takes avere, but pulling the si to the front forces the auxiliary to switch to essere. If you attached si to the infinitive instead, you would keep avere: ha dovuto dimettersi.
If the subject of the second clause was a woman instead of lui, would the past participle dovuto change?
Yes! Because the auxiliary verb has shifted to essere, the past participle of the modal verb must agree with the subject in gender and number. For a female subject, it would become lei si è dovuta dimettere.
Why does magari trigger the imperfect subjunctive fosse here instead of just using the present tense?
When magari is followed by the imperfect subjunctive, it expresses a strong, often unlikely wish, translating to "If only...". If the speaker just meant "Maybe it is an unfounded accusation" as a realistic possibility, they would use the indicative: Magari è un'accusa infondata.
Why is the verb dimettersi reflexive here? What would just dimettere mean?
Dimettersi is a reflexive verb that specifically means to resign or to step down from a position. Without the reflexive pronoun, dimettere usually means to discharge, such as releasing a patient from a hospital.
Learn Magari fosse un'accusa infondata, ma lui si è dovuto dimettere and more in Italian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free