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Mi sono dovuto arrabbiare perché ho strapagato questo gadget ipertecnologico!

Mi sono dovuto arrabbiare perché ho strapagato questo gadget ipertecnologico!
I had to get angry because I overpaid for this ultra-technological gadget!
From Lesson 344:Prefixes of intensity (stra-, iper-)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Mi sono dovuto arrabbiare perché ho strapagato questo gadget ipertecnologico!

How does the prefix stra- change the meaning of pagato?
The prefix stra- indicates excess or doing something to an extreme degree. When attached to the verb pagare (to pay), it creates strapagare, meaning "to overpay" or "to pay way too much." It highlights the speaker's frustration at having paid an excessive amount.
Why use the prefix iper- in ipertecnologico instead of just saying molto tecnologico?
While molto tecnologico (very technological) is grammatically fine, the prefix iper- (hyper- or ultra-) creates a stronger, absolute sense of intensity. It turns the phrase into a single, punchy adjective meaning "ultra-technological" or "extremely high-tech," which perfectly matches the exaggerated, angry tone of the sentence.
Why does the sentence say sono dovuto instead of ho dovuto? Doesn't dovere usually take avere in the past tense?
You're right that dovere usually takes avere. However, this sentence involves the reflexive verb arrabbiarsi (to get angry). When a modal verb like dovere is paired with a reflexive verb, the auxiliary depends on where the reflexive pronoun goes. Because the pronoun mi is placed before the conjugated verb (Mi sono dovuto arrabbiare), you must use essere. If you attached the pronoun to the end of the infinitive instead (Ho dovuto arrabbiarmi), you would use avere.
Is gadget treated like a normal Italian noun? How would it look in the plural?
Like most English loanwords in Italian that end in a consonant, gadget is treated as a masculine noun, and its spelling does not change in the plural. If the speaker had bought multiple devices, the sentence would simply change the surrounding words to match: questi gadget ipertecnologici.

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