Breakdown of Lei è irraggiungibile, ossia non posso sfiorarla, ma chiunque ci penserebbe.
essere
to be
lei
she
ma
but
non
not
potere
can, to be able to
la
her/it (direct object)
pensare
to think
ci
about it / in it (with verbs taking 'a')
chiunque
anyone / whoever
ossia
that is to say / or rather
sfiorare
to brush against / to touch lightly
irraggiungibile
unreachable
Questions & Answers about Lei è irraggiungibile, ossia non posso sfiorarla, ma chiunque ci penserebbe.
What does ossia mean and can I just use cioè instead?
Why is there a ci in ci penserebbe?
Why use sfiorarla instead of toccarla?
Does chiunque always take a third-person singular verb like penserebbe?
Yes. Chiunque translates to 'anyone', 'anybody', or 'whoever'. Just like in English, it is always treated as a singular subject in Italian grammar.
How would I express 'If only I could brush against her!' using the current lesson's grammar?
You would use the optative subjunctive and say: Se solo potessi sfiorarla! The phrase se solo (if only) triggers the imperfect subjunctive (potessi) to express a strong wish that feels currently out of reach.
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