Breakdown of Noi siamo stanchi, ma ci sforziamo di completare questa impresa epica.
essere
to be
questo
this (masculine)
ma
but
stanco
tired
noi
we
di
to (linking a verb to a following infinitive)
completare
to complete
epico
epic
l'impresa
the feat (f)
sforzarsi
to strive
Questions & Answers about Noi siamo stanchi, ma ci sforziamo di completare questa impresa epica.
Why is the pronoun ci used with sforziamo?
The verb here is sforzarsi, a pronominal verb meaning to force oneself or to make an effort. The ci is the reflexive pronoun for noi (we), so it literally means we force ourselves.
Why do we need the preposition di before completare?
In Italian, many verbs of effort or attempt require the preposition di to link them to a following infinitive verb. Just as you say cercare di (to try to), you must use di after sforzarsi to introduce the action you are struggling to achieve.
I usually see impresa translated as company or business. Why does it mean feat in this sentence?
Could we drop the subject pronoun Noi at the start of the sentence?
Yes, you could simply say siamo stanchi. Since Italian verb endings already indicate who is acting, subject pronouns are usually dropped. Including Noi here adds deliberate emphasis to our specific struggle and sets up a strong contrast for the effort we are about to make.
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