Breakdown of Queste vecchie credenze si vengono narrando tra gli uomini.
l'uomo
the man (m)
vecchio
old
queste
these (feminine)
gli
the
tra
between, among
venire
to come
si
one (impersonal)
narrare
to narrate
la credenza
the belief
Questions & Answers about Queste vecchie credenze si vengono narrando tra gli uomini.
Why use vengono narrando instead of stanno narrando?
The construction venire + present gerund describes an action that develops gradually over time, implying historical continuity. While stanno narrando just means an action is happening right now, vengono narrando suggests these beliefs have been passed down continuously from the past up to the present.
What is the function of si at the beginning of the sentence?
It acts as a passive si (si passivante). Because beliefs cannot physically narrate anything themselves, the si flips the active phrase into a passive one. Combined with the progressive phrase, si vengono narrando translates to 'are being narrated' or 'have been narrated'.
Why is the verb vengono in the plural?
Could we just say vengono narrate instead of si vengono narrando?
You could, but it changes the nuance. Queste vecchie credenze vengono narrate uses venire as a standard passive auxiliary, simply meaning 'are narrated'. Using the passive si with the venire + gerund construction (si vengono narrando) specifically emphasizes the ongoing, evolving, and historical nature of the storytelling over generations.
Does uomini strictly mean 'men' here?
While uomini translates literally to 'men', in literary or historical contexts like this one, it is commonly used collectively to refer to 'people' or 'humanity' as a whole.
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