Breakdown of La leggenda del guerriero si viene narrando da mille anni.
l'anno
the year
venire
to come
del
of the; than the (di + il)
si
one (impersonal)
da
since, for (duration)
mille
one thousand
la leggenda
the legend
il guerriero
the warrior
narrare
to narrate
Questions & Answers about La leggenda del guerriero si viene narrando da mille anni.
Why use viene narrando instead of just the present tense (si narra)?
The construction venire + present gerund (here, narrando) emphasizes a gradual, continuous progression over time. While si narra just states the basic fact that it is narrated, viene narrando gives a strong sense of historical momentum, showing that the legend has been continuously and gradually passed down leading up to today.
What is the purpose of si before viene narrando?
It acts as the passive 'si' (si passivante). Because viene narrando functions as a single verbal unit, adding si makes the action passive: "is being narrated" or "has been narrated". Without si, the sentence would absurdly mean that the legend itself is doing the narrating!
Could I say si sta narrando instead of si viene narrando?
You could, but it changes the nuance. Stare + gerund focuses on an action happening right at this exact moment ("is being narrated right now"). Venire + gerund is used for historical or gradual continuity—it highlights an action accumulating and developing progressively from the past into the present.
Why does the English translation use "has been narrated" (a past/perfect tense), but the Italian uses a present tense construction?
As a quick refresher: in Italian, when an action started in the past and is still ongoing, you use a present tense construction paired with da (since/for). Because the storytelling is still happening today, Italian uses the present progressive si viene narrando combined with da mille anni (literally "since a thousand years ago"). English naturally translates this ongoing timeline as "has been narrated for a thousand years".
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