Learn Italian: Eppure, l'intruso ha evitato la sorveglianza. - And yet, the intruder avoided the surveillance.

Eppure, l'intruso ha evitato la sorveglianza.

And yet, the intruder avoided the surveillance.

Breakdown of Eppure, l'intruso ha evitato la sorveglianza.

Questions & Answers about Eppure, l'intruso ha evitato la sorveglianza.

What is the exact nuance of eppure compared to ma or tuttavia?

Eppure translates best to 'and yet' or 'nevertheless.' While ma simply means 'but,' eppure emphasizes a stronger sense of surprise or contradiction. It is very similar in meaning to tuttavia (however), but eppure is often preferred when pointing out that a fact is highly unexpected given the circumstances.

Why use the passato prossimo (ha evitato) here instead of the imperfect (evitava)?

Avoiding the surveillance is treated here as a single, successfully completed event. If you used the imperfect (evitava), it would mean the intruder 'used to avoid' the surveillance as a habit, or 'was avoiding' it as an ongoing background action when something else interrupted.

Can I use evitare to say someone avoided doing an action, just like in English?

Yes, but you must use the preposition di before the following verb. For example, if you wanted to say the intruder avoided being seen, you would use the infinitive: ha evitato di farsi vedere.

Since this lesson covers the conjunction perché, how could I add 'so that the guards wouldn't see him' to this sentence?