Breakdown of Non vagherei di notte, anche se il cielo fosse chiaro.
essere
to be
non
not
la notte
the night
il cielo
the sky
di
of, from
anche se
even though
chiaro
light (of a color); clear
vagare
to wander
Questions & Answers about Non vagherei di notte, anche se il cielo fosse chiaro.
Why does anche se trigger the subjunctive (fosse) in this sentence?
When anche se means "even if" (introducing a hypothetical or unreal situation), it requires the subjunctive. If we were stating a real fact—"even though the sky is clear"—we would use the indicative (anche se il cielo è chiaro). Because the sky being clear is just a hypothetical scenario here, we use the subjunctive.
Why do we use the imperfect subjunctive (fosse) rather than the present subjunctive (sia)?
This sentence is a classic hypothetical situation in the present or future. Just like a regular se (if) clause, a hypothetical anche se clause must use the imperfect subjunctive (fosse) when the main clause uses the conditional tense (vagherei).
Why is there an "h" in vagherei?
The infinitive is vagare (to wander). Verbs ending in -gare (and -care) add an h in all forms of the future and conditional tenses. This keeps the hard "g" sound intact before the letter "e". Without the h, it would be pronounced with a soft "g" like in "gelato".
Could I say nella notte instead of di notte?
You could, but di notte is the most natural and standard way to translate "at night" or "by night" as a general habit or time of day. Italian frequently uses the preposition di for general times, such as di giorno (by day) or di mattina (in the morning). Nella notte tends to mean "in the night" referring to a specific, single night.
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