Breakdown of Se il tempo va peggiorando, perché continui a ostinarti e a spingerti nel gelo?
e
and
il tempo
the time, the weather
perché
because, why
se
if
nel
in the (in + il) / while / upon (doing something)
peggiorare
to worsen
continuare
to continue
a
(linking a verb to a following infinitive)
il gelo
the frost
andare
to be gradually (doing something)
spingersi
to push oneself
ostinarsi
to persist (stubbornly)
Questions & Answers about Se il tempo va peggiorando, perché continui a ostinarti e a spingerti nel gelo?
Why does the sentence use va peggiorando instead of sta peggiorando?
Why is it ostinarti instead of just ostinare?
Ostinarsi (to persist, to be stubborn) is a pronominal verb. It must always be used with a reflexive pronoun, even though the action isn't literally reflecting back on the subject. Since the subject is "you", the pronoun is ti, which attaches to the end of the infinitive by dropping the final "e" (ostinar-ti).
How does the meaning of spingerti work in this context?
Why is the preposition a repeated before spingerti?
The verb continuare requires the preposition a before a following infinitive verb (as in continuare a ostinarti). When connecting multiple infinitives with "and" (e), it is very common and considered good Italian style to repeat the preposition before the second verb for clarity: e a spingerti.
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