Breakdown of Penso che il paesaggio industriale sia talmente strano che sembra magico.
essere
to be
strano
strange
pensare
to think
il paesaggio
the landscape
magico
magical
che
that (conjunction introducing a clause)
sembrare
to seem
talmente
so / so much (to such an extent)
industriale
industrial
Questions & Answers about Penso che il paesaggio industriale sia talmente strano che sembra magico.
Why do we use the subjunctive sia but then switch to the indicative sembra later in the same sentence?
The verb sia is in the subjunctive because it directly follows Penso che, which expresses a personal opinion or thought. However, sembra is part of a consecutive clause triggered by talmente strano che (so strange that). Consecutive clauses describe the actual result or consequence of a situation, so they typically use the indicative mood, even when nested inside a thought or opinion.
How does the structure talmente ... che work here?
The adverb talmente means "so" or "to such an extent," and it pairs with che (that) to introduce the consequence of what was just described. In this case, the landscape being "so strange" directly results in the fact "that it seems magical." You can also use the phrase così ... che interchangeably to mean the exact same thing.
Could I use the subjunctive sembri instead of sembra here, since the action is still part of what I think?
Using the indicative sembra is grammatically correct and sounds more natural because you are stating the result (looking magical) as a factual consequence of its strangeness. While a native speaker might occasionally slip into the subjunctive sembri through "attraction" to the earlier sia, standard Italian grammar prefers the indicative for factual consecutive clauses like this one.
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