Question 1

Why is perché followed by the subjunctive succeda here instead of the indicative succede?

Accepted Answer

In this sentence, perché means "so that" or "in order that" to express a purpose, rather than "because" to express a cause. When perché indicates purpose, it requires the subjunctive mood.

Question 2

How would this sentence change if I wanted to say "We use the camera because this doesn't happen"?

Accepted Answer

You would just change the verb to the indicative: Usiamo la telecamera perché ciò non succede. Changing the verb's mood completely flips the meaning of perché from purpose (so that) to cause (because).

Question 3

Could I use affinché instead of perché here?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you could say Usiamo la telecamera affinché ciò non succeda. Affinché also means "so that" and always takes the subjunctive. It is a bit more formal than perché, but it removes any ambiguity since it can never mean "because".

Question 4

Why use the pronoun ciò instead of questo?

Accepted Answer

Ciò is an invariable pronoun meaning "this" or "that" when referring back to a whole situation, abstract concept, or action. You absolutely could use questo here, but ciò is very common and natural when referring to an abstract event happening.

Question 5

Does telecamera refer to a regular camera for taking photos?

Accepted Answer

No, telecamera refers specifically to a video camera, television camera, or security camera (which makes sense in the context of preventing something from happening). For taking still photographs, you would say macchina fotografica.

Usiamo la telecamera perché ciò non succeda.

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