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Avessi messo quella maledetta sveglia!

Avessi messo quella maledetta sveglia!
If only I had set that damned alarm clock!
From Lesson 324:Past wishes (exclamative subjunctive)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Avessi messo quella maledetta sveglia!

Why does the sentence start directly with the past perfect subjunctive Avessi messo without a word like Se (if)?
In Italian, an independent subjunctive (one not connected to a main clause) can be used as an exclamation to express a strong wish or regret. Using the past perfect subjunctive on its own translates to an unfulfilled past wish, meaning 'If only I had...' in English.
Could Avessi messo also mean 'If only YOU had set...'?
Yes! The auxiliary forms for io and tu are both avessi. Without a subject pronoun, only the context of the conversation tells you whether the speaker is regretting their own mistake ('If only I had...') or blaming someone else ('If only you had...').
Why do we use messo to mean 'set'? Doesn't mettere usually mean 'to put'?
While mettere literally means 'to put' or 'to place', it is the standard verb Italians use for setting an alarm clock. Think of it as 'putting' the alarm into an active state.
Why does the adjective maledetta come before the noun sveglia?
Placing an adjective before the noun gives it a subjective, emotional, or figurative feeling rather than describing a literal physical quality. Since the speaker is expressing intense frustration ('that damned alarm clock'), putting maledetta before the noun emphasizes that anger.

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