Breakdown of Ho comprato il veleno per impedire che i topi non rosicchino il legno.
non
not
avere
to have
il legno
the wood
comprare
to buy
per
for / in order to / because of
che
that (conjunction introducing a clause)
il topo
the mouse
impedire
to prevent
il veleno
the poison
rosicchiare
to gnaw
Questions & Answers about Ho comprato il veleno per impedire che i topi non rosicchino il legno.
Why is there a non in che i topi non rosicchino if the English translation is not negative?
This is called the "pleonastic" (or extra) non. In Italian, verbs of hindering, preventing, or forbidding, like impedire, can take an optional non in the dependent clause that follows them. This non doesn't actually negate the verb; it just reinforces the idea of prevention. You can drop it and say che i topi rosicchino, and the meaning stays exactly the same.
Why must we use the subjunctive rosicchino after impedire che?
Verbs that express a desire, will, or attempt to control another person's (or animal's) actions always trigger the subjunctive. Since impedire (to prevent) aims to influence the mice's behavior, the clause introduced by che requires a subjunctive verb.
Could I express this same idea using an infinitive instead of the subjunctive?
Yes! It is very common to use an implicit construction when dealing with impedire. Instead of che plus a subjunctive verb, you can use a plus the object followed by di plus the infinitive. For example: per impedire ai topi di rosicchiare il legno.
Why does the sentence use per impedire instead of just a impedire or di impedire?
In Italian, to express the purpose of an action—meaning "in order to"—you use the preposition per followed by an infinitive. Here, the speaker bought the poison in order to prevent the mice from gnawing the wood.
Learn Ho comprato il veleno per impedire che i topi non rosicchino il legno and more in Italian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free