Breakdown of È fallito da imprenditore. Ciononostante, la sua tenacia è incredibile.
essere
to be
suo
his/her/Your
da
as a (child/teenager), when one was
l'imprenditore
the entrepreneur (m)
incredibile
incredible
ciononostante
nevertheless
fallire
to fail
la tenacia
the tenacity
Questions & Answers about È fallito da imprenditore. Ciononostante, la sua tenacia è incredibile.
How does ciononostante work in this sentence, and what is it made of?
It translates to "nevertheless" or "despite this". It is a compound of ciò (this) and nonostante (despite). Unlike just using nonostante, which usually introduces a dependent clause and requires the subjunctive, ciononostante works as a standalone connector to contrast a whole new sentence with the previous one.
Could I swap ciononostante for malgrado ciò here?
Yes, absolutely. Malgrado ciò means exactly the same thing ("despite this" or "nevertheless") and functions the exact same way grammatically. Both are excellent choices for introducing a counter-argument without triggering the subjunctive.
Why does the first sentence use È fallito with the auxiliary essere instead of avere?
The verb fallire (to fail or go bankrupt) takes essere when used intransitively to describe a person or business failing. You only use avere with fallire when it is transitive and takes a direct object, such as failing a specific test or missing a target.
Why is the preposition da used in da imprenditore?
In Italian, the preposition da is used to express acting in a certain role, capacity, or profession. Here, da imprenditore translates to "as an entrepreneur" or "in his capacity as an entrepreneur."
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