Breakdown of Magari le Canarie fossero più vicine!
essere
to be
più
more / anymore (with 'non')
vicino
near / close
magari
if only / I wish
le Canarie
the Canary Islands
Questions & Answers about Magari le Canarie fossero più vicine!
Why is there an article before Canarie, when islands like Capri or Malta don't use one?
Because the Canary Islands are an archipelago (a group of islands), not a single small island. In Italian, archipelagos always take a plural definite article. Since Canarie is feminine plural, it takes le. By contrast, small standalone islands like Capri or Malta take no article at all.
Why is fossero in the imperfect subjunctive here?
The word magari at the start of an exclamation means 'If only...!' or 'I wish!'. When used this way to express a strong, unfulfilled wish about the present, it always requires the imperfect subjunctive.
Doesn't magari usually mean 'maybe'?
It can mean 'maybe' or 'probably' in other contexts, but when it introduces an exclamation followed by the imperfect subjunctive, its meaning changes entirely to express a deep desire or regret, translated as 'If only!'
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