Breakdown of Non prendertela se non rispondo al messaggio; finisco sempre per ignorare le notifiche.
non
not
sempre
always
finire
to finish
per
for / in order to / because of
al
to the / at the
se
if
rispondere
to answer, to reply
il messaggio
the message
ignorare
to ignore
prendersela
to take offense
la notifica
the notification
Questions & Answers about Non prendertela se non rispondo al messaggio; finisco sempre per ignorare le notifiche.
How does finire per work in this sentence to mean "end up ignoring"? Can I use a gerund instead?
The construction finire per followed by an infinitive expresses an eventual or unintended outcome, just like "to end up doing something" in English. Unlike English, you cannot use a gerund here; Italian strictly requires per + the infinitive (ignorare).
Break down the word prendertela. What verb does this come from?
It comes from the pronominal verb prendersela, which means "to take it personally" or "to get offended." Here, it is a negative imperative (a command not to do something) for the informal "you," which uses non + the infinitive. The pronouns te (to you) and la (it) are attached to the end of the infinitive prendere after dropping its final "e".
Why is the adverb sempre placed in the middle of the finire per construction?
In Italian, adverbs of frequency like sempre generally sit immediately after the conjugated verb. It is completely natural for it to separate the conjugated verb (finisco) from the preposition and infinitive (per ignorare).
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