Breakdown of L'incantesimo, il principe lo spezzò appena le ebbe dato un bacio.
un
a / an (masculine)
avere
to have
dare
to give
le
to her
Questions & Answers about L'incantesimo, il principe lo spezzò appena le ebbe dato un bacio.
Why do we use ebbe dato here instead of the regular trapassato prossimo (aveva dato)?
Ebbe dato is the trapassato remoto. It is used specifically after temporal conjunctions like appena, dopo che, or quando to show that an action was completed immediately before another action in the passato remoto (here, spezzò). It emphasizes a tight, immediate sequence of past events.
What happens if the main verb isn't in the passato remoto? Can I still use the trapassato remoto?
No, the trapassato remoto is heavily dependent on the main verb. It is only used when the main action (in this case spezzò) is in the passato remoto. If the prince's action had been expressed in the passato prossimo (ha spezzato), you would use the regular trapassato prossimo (aveva dato) after appena instead.
Why is the sentence ordered as L'incantesimo, il principe lo spezzò rather than the standard Il principe spezzò l'incantesimo?
Pulling the direct object to the beginning of the sentence is called a left dislocation. Italians use this to emphasize the topic, making the spell the focus. Whenever you move a direct object to the front like this, you must include a matching resumptive pronoun later in the clause, which is why the lo is required before spezzò.
Who does le refer to in le ebbe dato, and why don't we use la?