Breakdown of Temo che i parassiti non invadano l'orto.
non
not
che
that (conjunction introducing a clause)
l'orto
the vegetable garden (m)
temere
to fear
Questions & Answers about Temo che i parassiti non invadano l'orto.
Why is the word non in this sentence when the English translation says "might invade", not "might not invade"?
This is a classic example of the "pleonastic" (meaning redundant or extra) non. In Italian, verbs expressing fear, like temere, can take an extra non in the che clause. It doesn't actually make the verb negative; it just emphasizes the apprehension. The sentence means the exact same thing if you drop it: Temo che i parassiti invadano l'orto.
If the pleonastic non looks exactly like a regular negative non, how do I know if someone fears the pests will invade or won't invade?
Purely from context! Because pests are bad for a vegetable garden, logic tells us the speaker fears they will invade. If the speaker were talking about helpful ladybugs, the exact same structure—Temo che le coccinelle non invadano l'orto—would naturally be understood as "I fear the ladybugs won't invade."
Why do we use invadano here instead of the regular present tense invadono?
The verb temere (to fear) expresses a strong emotion or doubt. In Italian, verbs of emotion trigger the subjunctive mood in the following dependent clause. Invadano is the present subjunctive form of invadere for the third-person plural (loro).
I usually use giardino for garden. What exactly is an orto?