Learn Italian: Lei è irraggiungibile, ossia non posso sfiorarla, ma chiunque ci penserebbe. - She is unreachable, that is I cannot brush against her, but anyone would think about it.

Lei è irraggiungibile, ossia non posso sfiorarla, ma chiunque ci penserebbe.

She is unreachable, that is I cannot brush against her, but anyone would think about it.

Breakdown of Lei è irraggiungibile, ossia non posso sfiorarla, ma chiunque ci penserebbe.

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?

Ossia means 'that is' or 'in other words', and it is used to clarify or rephrase a statement. You can absolutely use cioè here instead; they are synonyms, though ossia sounds slightly more formal.

Why is there a ci in ci penserebbe?

In Italian, the verb pensare requires the preposition a when talking about what you are thinking about (pensare a qualcosa). The pronoun ci replaces a plus that topic. So here, ci penserebbe means 'would think about it'.

Why use sfiorarla instead of toccarla?

While toccare just means 'to touch', sfiorare means to touch very lightly, graze, or brush against something. Using sfiorarla makes the sentence more poetic, emphasizing how delicate or out of reach the contact is.

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?