Breakdown of Credo che l'attendibilità della notizia sia scientificamente verificabile.
essere
to be
credere
to believe
la notizia
the news
che
that (conjunction introducing a clause)
Questions & Answers about Credo che l'attendibilità della notizia sia scientificamente verificabile.
Why is sia used here instead of è, and how does it relate to subjective evaluations?
The main clause starts with credo che (I believe that), which introduces a personal opinion. This subjective evaluation requires the subjunctive mood, hence sia. As you are learning in this module, Italian relies heavily on the subjunctive for subjectivity. For example, if you used il fatto che to subjectively evaluate this news (e.g., "The fact that it is verifiable is a relief"), you would still use the subjunctive sia. You would only use the indicative è if you were using il fatto che to state a cold, objective reality without any personal spin.
Why is notizia singular here when the English translation says "news"?
In English, "news" is an uncountable noun that looks plural but is treated as singular. In Italian, la notizia refers to a single, specific piece of news or a specific report. If you are talking about the news in general (like a TV broadcast or multiple reports), you would use the plural le notizie. Because this sentence discusses the reliability of one specific report, the singular della notizia is required.
The word attendibilità is quite long. Is there a trick to understanding or forming words like this?