Breakdown of Il fatto che la gente creda a una bufala è scandaloso.
essere
to be
una
a / an (feminine)
la gente
the people
a
to / at
credere
to believe
che
that (conjunction introducing a clause)
il fatto
the fact
la bufala
hoax
scandaloso
scandalous
Questions & Answers about Il fatto che la gente creda a una bufala è scandaloso.
Why is the subjunctive creda used here after il fatto che instead of the indicative crede?
The phrase il fatto che (the fact that) triggers the subjunctive when it introduces a subjective evaluation, emotion, or opinion. Here, the main clause is è scandaloso (it is scandalous), which is a clear personal judgment rather than a neutral, objective statement.
I know bufala relates to buffalo (as in mozzarella). Why does it mean 'hoax' here?
In Italian colloquial speech, una bufala is commonly used to mean a hoax, fake news, or a scam. It is widely used in media and everyday conversation to describe a completely fabricated story.
Why is the verb creda in the singular form if it refers to 'people'?
Even though la gente translates to the plural 'people' in English, it is a singular feminine noun in Italian. Therefore, it always takes a third-person singular verb. In this present subjunctive clause, that form is creda.
Why do we say creda a una bufala instead of just creda una bufala?
When you believe a story, a lie, or a person, the verb credere takes the preposition a (for example, credere a una bugia or credere a Marco). You use credere in for believing in abstract concepts or someone's potential, and credere without a preposition when it simply means 'to think that' followed by a new clause.
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