Word
Ci sono voluti molti anni, ma in fin dei conti il suo contributo è stato geniale.
Meaning
It took many years, but ultimately his contribution was brilliant.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Ci sono voluti molti anni, ma in fin dei conti il suo contributo è stato geniale.
essere
to be
ma
but
l'anno
the year (m)
molto
a lot of / much
Questions & Answers about Ci sono voluti molti anni, ma in fin dei conti il suo contributo è stato geniale.
Why use in fin dei conti here instead of in sintesi?
in fin dei conti literally translates to "at the end of the accounts" (ultimately / at the end of the day). It is used to draw a final conclusion after weighing different factors—in this case, the long time it took versus the brilliant result. in sintesi just means "in summary," which doesn't capture that sense of weighing pros and cons.
Why is the verb formatted as ci sono voluti and not ci è voluto?
This uses the verb volerci (to take time or effort). The verb must always agree with the subject, which is the thing that is needed. Since molti anni (many years) is masculine plural, you must use the plural form of the auxiliary essere (sono) and make the past participle agree by ending it in -i (voluti).
Could I place in fin dei conti at the very end of the sentence?
Is the adjective geniale normally used for things, or just for people?