Breakdown of Ha indicato il cappello bizzarro, e i bambini a ridere!
e
and
il bambino
the child
avere
to have
il cappello
the hat
ridere
to laugh
a
(linking a verb to a following infinitive)
indicare
to point
bizzarro
bizarre
Questions & Answers about Ha indicato il cappello bizzarro, e i bambini a ridere!
Why does the sentence use e i bambini a ridere instead of a regular past tense verb?
This is the historical infinitive. In lively storytelling, you can use a plus the infinitive to show a sudden, spontaneous reaction. It translates to 'and suddenly the children started laughing' and feels much more immediate than saying e i bambini hanno cominciato a ridere.
Can the historical infinitive a ridere be used without a subject here?
Usually, no. Because the infinitive doesn't change endings to show who is acting, you need an explicit subject right before it. Here, i bambini clarifies exactly who burst into laughter.
The first clause uses the passato prossimo (ha indicato). Do you have to use a specific past tense before the historical infinitive?
No, it works well with any narrative past tense, such as the passato prossimo, imperfetto, or passato remoto. The conjugated verb (ha indicato) provides the trigger action, and the historical infinitive delivers the sudden consequence.
Could we put bizzarro before the noun, saying il bizzarro cappello?
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