Question 1

We normally say credere a (to believe in / believe someone). Why isn't there an a before che in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

The verb credere usually takes the preposition a before a noun (e.g., credo a questa storia - I believe this story). However, in Italian, when a verb introduces a full statement using the declarative conjunction che (that), you must drop the preposition. So, crede a becomes just crede che.

Question 2

Why is the verb giustifichi in the subjunctive mood here?

Accepted Answer

The main verb is crede (believes), which expresses an opinion, thought, or uncertainty. Verbs of belief like credere and pensare followed by che require the verb in the dependent clause to be in the subjunctive mood.

Question 3

Why does giustifichi have an 'h' in it, when the infinitive is giustificare?

Accepted Answer

Giustificare is an -are verb, so its singular present subjunctive endings are all -i (for io, tu, and lui/lei). Because the stem ends in a hard 'c' sound (-car-), we must add an h before the -i ending to preserve that hard sound. Without the h, it would be pronounced with a soft 'ch' sound.

Question 4

The word pass is English. How do English loanwords work with gender and plurals in Italian?

Accepted Answer

English loanwords are almost always treated as masculine in Italian (hence questo pass). They are also invariable, meaning they don't change form in the plural. To say 'these passes', you would just change the demonstrative adjective to get questi pass.

L'organizzatore crede che l'affluenza giustifichi questo pass.

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