Breakdown of Era talmente sbadato che ha inzuppato la camicia di caffè.
essere
to be
avere
to have
di
of, from
il caffè
the coffee
Questions & Answers about Era talmente sbadato che ha inzuppato la camicia di caffè.
Could I use così instead of talmente in this sentence?
Why does the sentence use the imperfect tense for era, but the passato prossimo for ha inzuppato?
This highlights the difference between an ongoing state and a specific event. Era (imperfect) sets up the background condition—he was in a careless state. Ha inzuppato (passato prossimo) describes the sudden, completed action that resulted from that carelessness.
The English translation says "his shirt", so why is it la camicia instead of la sua camicia?
In Italian, when it is obvious who owns an item of clothing or a body part, you just use the definite article (la) instead of a possessive adjective (la sua). Since he is the one who was careless and soaking something, it is naturally assumed it is his own shirt.