Breakdown of Ci ho messo dieci minuti per calmarlo, come se il suo battito si fosse fermato.
essere
to be
suo
his/her/Your
dieci
ten
per
for / in order to / because of
il minuto
the minute
se
if
lo
him/it (direct object)
come
as (in comparisons)
fermarsi
to stop (moving)
metterci
to take (time, personal)
calmare
to calm down
il battito
the heartbeat
Questions & Answers about Ci ho messo dieci minuti per calmarlo, come se il suo battito si fosse fermato.
Why do we use the pluperfect subjunctive (si fosse fermato) after come se here?
The phrase come se (as if) always triggers the subjunctive because it sets up a hypothetical, unreal situation. Since the main action happened in the past (Ci ho messo - It took me), and the imaginary stopping of the heartbeat refers to that same past time frame, Italian requires the pluperfect subjunctive.
Why is the auxiliary verb fosse instead of avesse in the phrase si fosse fermato?
The verb used here is the reflexive fermarsi (to stop oneself or come to a stop). In Italian, all reflexive verbs take essere as their auxiliary in compound tenses. Therefore, the pluperfect subjunctive of fermarsi is formed with the imperfect subjunctive of essere (fosse) plus the past participle (fermato).
What does the Ci at the beginning of the sentence do in Ci ho messo?
It is part of the pronominal verb metterci, which means to take a certain amount of time or effort to do something. Literally, Ci ho messo dieci minuti translates to 'I put ten minutes into it,' which is the standard Italian way to say 'It took me ten minutes.'
Why does the heartbeat use the reflexive si fosse fermato instead of just avesse fermato?
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