Word
Fosse per me, non giocherei mai a scacchi con lui.
Meaning
Were it up to me, I would never play chess with him.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Fosse per me, non giocherei mai a scacchi con lui.
Why is se missing at the beginning of the sentence?
This sentence uses an advanced conditional structure where the word se (if) is dropped, and the clause starts directly with the imperfect subjunctive verb (fosse). This works just like the English structure "Were it up to me..." instead of "If it were up to me...".
What does fosse per me literally translate to?
It literally translates to "Were it for me." It is a very common fixed expression in Italian meaning "If it were up to me," "If it were my choice," or "If I had it my way."
Is it grammatically correct to put se back into the sentence?
Why is there an a before scacchi?
In Italian, the verb giocare (to play) requires the preposition a when referring to games or sports. So, while in English you just "play chess," in Italian you must say giocare a scacchi.