Breakdown of Sembrava una follia, come se la paura lo avesse reso paralizzato.
una
a / an (feminine)
avere
to have
la paura
the fear
se
if
lo
him/it (direct object)
la
her/it (direct object)
come
as (in comparisons)
sembrare
to seem
rendere
to make (someone/something) + adjective, to render
paralizzato
paralyzed
la follia
the madness
Questions & Answers about Sembrava una follia, come se la paura lo avesse reso paralizzato.
Why do we use the pluperfect subjunctive (avesse reso) in this sentence?
The phrase come se (as if) introduces a hypothetical comparison and strictly requires a past subjunctive. Because the main verb (Sembrava) is in the past, we use the pluperfect subjunctive (avesse reso) to describe an unreal or hypothetical event that was happening at the same time or earlier.
Why does the Italian sentence use reso for 'made' instead of a form of fare?
When the English verb 'make' is followed by an adjective (like 'paralyzed', 'happy', or 'sad'), Italian requires the verb rendere (past participle: reso). You cannot use fare here, which is a very common trap for English speakers!
Where exactly does the object pronoun lo have to go in this structure?
lo (him) is a direct object pronoun. In a compound tense like the pluperfect subjunctive, object pronouns must be placed immediately before the conjugated auxiliary verb, which is avesse here. They cannot attach to a past participle like reso.
Would the ending of reso paralizzato change if the person paralyzed was a woman?
Yes, it would. If the direct object pronoun were feminine (la instead of lo), both the past participle (reso) and the adjective (paralizzato) would need to agree with it. The phrase would become la avesse resa paralizzata (or l'avesse resa paralizzata).
Why is there a la before paura when the English translation just says 'fear'?
Italian requires definite articles like la before abstract nouns when speaking about them in a broad or general sense. Since fear is the subject of this clause, it becomes la paura.
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