Breakdown of L'anno scorso si sono evitate le giacenze.
essere
to be
l'anno
the year (m)
scorso
last / previous
si
one (impersonal)
evitare
to avoid
la giacenza
the unsold stock
Questions & Answers about L'anno scorso si sono evitate le giacenze.
Why is the verb sono evitate plural and feminine?
This is the si passivante (passive si) construction. In this structure, the thing being acted upon (le giacenze) acts as the grammatical subject. Because le giacenze (unsold stocks) is feminine plural, the auxiliary verb must be plural (sono) and the past participle must match its gender and number (evitate).
The verb evitare normally takes avere. Why does this sentence use essere (sono)?
Why does the subject le giacenze come after the verb?
While you could absolutely say L'anno scorso le giacenze si sono evitate, Italian very often places the subject after the verb in si passivante constructions. This word order sounds highly natural and puts the emphasis heavily on the action itself (the fact that they were avoided) rather than on the stocks.
What exactly does the word giacenze mean here?
Giacenze (singular: giacenza) comes from the verb giacere, which means to lie down, rest, or sit. In a retail or business context, it refers to inventory or unsold stock—literally the goods that are just "sitting around" in a warehouse.
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