Breakdown of Questa fotocopiatrice non si può smontare in due minuti.
questo
this (masculine)
non
not
in
in / made of (material)
due
two
il minuto
the minute
potere
can, to be able to
si
one (impersonal)
la fotocopiatrice
the photocopier
smontare
to take apart / to dismantle (machinery, furniture)
Questions & Answers about Questa fotocopiatrice non si può smontare in due minuti.
Why does this sentence use si può smontare instead of può essere smontata to mean "cannot be taken apart"?
Both are grammatically correct, but Italian heavily prefers the si passivante (passive si) over the standard passive voice for general statements like this. When using a modal verb like potere, you simply place the si before the conjugated modal, followed by the infinitive.
Could the si be attached to the end of the verb instead?
Yes! With modal verbs, you can attach the pronoun to the dropped -e of the infinitive. So, non può smontarsi is also grammatically correct, though putting the si before the modal is usually preferred in spoken Italian for this passive construction.
How does the prefix s- change the meaning of the verb montare here?
Why do we use in for "in two minutes" here, rather than fra or tra?
The preposition in expresses the amount of time it takes to complete an action. If you used tra due minuti or fra due minuti, it would mean that the action of disassembling the machine will begin two minutes from now, not that the process itself takes two minutes.
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