Breakdown of Non berrei quell'acqua bollente, anche se fossi disidratato.
essere
to be
non
not
quello
that
l'acqua
the water (f)
bere
to drink
anche se
even though
bollente
boiling
disidratato
dehydrated
Questions & Answers about Non berrei quell'acqua bollente, anche se fossi disidratato.
Why does anche se use the subjunctive fossi here instead of the indicative?
In Italian, anche se translates to either 'even if' or 'even though'. When it describes a hypothetical or unreal situation (like being dehydrated right now, which you are not), it requires the subjunctive. Here, it takes the imperfect subjunctive fossi. If it were a factual statement ('even though I am dehydrated'), it would use the indicative: anche se sono disidratato.
How does berrei relate to the anche se clause?
berrei (I would drink) is in the present conditional. Together with the imperfect subjunctive fossi, they form a standard conditional sentence describing a hypothetical situation in the present. The anche se clause acts just like a regular se (if) clause here, triggering the same subjunctive-conditional pairing.
Why is the adjective bollente used instead of a past participle like bollita?
bollente is a present participle functioning as an adjective, meaning 'boiling' (currently actively bubbling or extremely hot). bollita means 'boiled' (the action is finished). So acqua bollente is 'boiling water', whereas acqua bollita would be water that has already been boiled.
Just as a refresher, why is it quell'acqua and not quella acqua?
The demonstrative adjective quello (that) follows the same elision rules as the definite article. Since acqua is a feminine noun starting with a vowel, the feminine singular form quella drops its final vowel and takes an apostrophe before merging with the noun, becoming quell'.
Learn Non berrei quell'acqua bollente, anche se fossi disidratato 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