Learn Italian: Il direttore afferma di riconoscere il potenziale del ragazzo e decide di elogiarlo. - The director claims to recognize the boy's potential and decides to praise him.

Word

Il direttore afferma di riconoscere il potenziale del ragazzo e decide di elogiarlo.

Meaning

The director claims to recognize the boy's potential and decides to praise him.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Italian

Lesson

Declarative clauses with infinitives (di + infinitive)

Breakdown of Il direttore afferma di riconoscere il potenziale del ragazzo e decide di elogiarlo.

the manager / the director

him/it (direct object)

Questions & Answers about Il direttore afferma di riconoscere il potenziale del ragazzo e decide di elogiarlo.

Why do we use di riconoscere here instead of che riconosce?

Because the subject of the main verb (afferma) and the following verb (riconoscere) is the exact same person. When the subjects match, verbs of saying and knowing use an implicit clause with di + infinitive. If the subjects were different, you would use che + a conjugated verb.

Why does decidere also use di before the next verb?

Many verbs expressing intention, thought, or decision, like decidere (to decide), pensare (to think), or sperare (to hope), require the preposition di to connect to a following infinitive.

How does the pronoun work in elogiarlo?

The direct object pronoun lo (him) is attached directly to the end of the infinitive elogiare (to praise). To do this, you drop the final -e of the infinitive, combining them smoothly into elogiarlo.

Could we use dice instead of afferma here?

Yes, but affermare carries a stronger nuance. It means to assert, to state, or to claim, which makes the director's statement sound more formal and confident than a simple dire (to say).