Breakdown of Avesse usato l'intuito, la mossa sarebbe stata brillante.
essere
to be
avere
to have
usare
to use
la mossa
the move (in a game)
brillante
brilliant
l'intuito
the intuition (m)
Questions & Answers about Avesse usato l'intuito, la mossa sarebbe stata brillante.
Where is the word for "if" (se) in this sentence?
In more advanced or literary Italian, you can drop se (if) in hypothetical clauses by putting the verb first. This works just like in English: instead of saying Se avesse usato (If he had used), we can just say Avesse usato (Had he used). This structure is only allowed with the imperfect or pluperfect subjunctive.
What tense is avesse usato?
It is the pluperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo trapassato). It is formed with the imperfect subjunctive of the helping verb (avere -> avesse) plus the past participle (usato). It is used here because it sets up an impossible condition in the past (an event that didn't actually happen).
Why is the second verb sarebbe stata instead of avrebbe stata?
Sarebbe stata is the past conditional ("would have been"). The main verb here is essere (to be), and in Italian compound tenses, essere always uses itself as its helping verb. Therefore, you must use the conditional form of essere (sarebbe) rather than avere (avrebbe).
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