Breakdown of Perché quel bambino si è messo a strillare?
il bambino
the child
quello
that
perché
because, why
a
(linking a verb to a following infinitive)
Questions & Answers about Perché quel bambino si è messo a strillare?
What is the difference between mettersi a strillare and cominciare a strillare?
While both mean 'to start to shriek', the structure mettersi a + infinitive emphasizes a sudden, abrupt, or spontaneous change in action. Cominciare a or iniziare a are more neutral and just describe the factual beginning of an event. Mettersi a is the perfect choice here because a child's shrieking usually happens out of nowhere!
Why does this sentence use the auxiliary verb essere (si è messo) instead of avere?
The verb here is mettersi (literally 'to put oneself'), which is a reflexive verb. In Italian, all reflexive verbs require essere in compound tenses like the passato prossimo. If we used the non-reflexive mettere (to put), it would take avere, but it would no longer mean 'to start'.
Why is it quel bambino instead of quello bambino?
When used as an adjective before a noun, quello (that) changes its form to match the definite article the noun would take. Since bambino takes the article il, quello drops the 'lo' and becomes quel. You would only use the full quello before masculine nouns that take lo, such as words starting with s+consonant or z (like quello stivale).
Does strillare mean the exact same thing as or ?