Breakdown of Ciò che rimane è la credenza, e l'usanza si viene diffondendo.
essere
to be
e
and
venire
to come
si
himself, herself, themselves (reflexive)
che
who, that (relative pronoun)
ciò
that / this (abstract concepts)
rimanere
to remain, to stay behind
diffondere
to spread
l'usanza
the custom (f)
la credenza
the belief
Questions & Answers about Ciò che rimane è la credenza, e l'usanza si viene diffondendo.
Why use viene instead of sta in si viene diffondendo?
Using venire + present gerund instead of stare + gerund expresses a gradual, continuous progression over time. While sta emphasizes an action happening right this second, venire highlights a slow, cumulative development. It is often used for historical or societal trends, which fits perfectly when talking about an usanza (custom) spreading over a wider population.
Where does the si in si viene diffondendo come from, and can it move?
It comes from the reflexive verb diffondersi (to spread itself / to become widespread). In a continuous construction like this, you can place the reflexive pronoun before the conjugated auxiliary verb (si viene diffondendo) or attach it to the end of the gerund (viene diffondendosi). Both are perfectly correct and mean the exact same thing.
Could I say Quello che rimane instead of Ciò che rimane?
Yes, ciò che and quello che are completely interchangeable when they mean 'that which' or 'the thing that'. Ciò che is just slightly more formal and elegant, which matches the slightly elevated tone of using the venire + gerund structure. Remember that you cannot use the question word cosa on its own to start a statement like this.
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