Breakdown of Il diplomatico se n'è andato all'improvviso, stanco di fare il bibliotecario in segreto.
stanco
tired
in
in / made of (material)
il segreto
the secret
fare
to do / to make
di
to (linking a verb to a following infinitive)
andarsene
to leave / to go away (from a place)
all'improvviso
suddenly, all of a sudden (= improvvisamente)
il bibliotecario
the librarian
il diplomatico
the diplomat
Questions & Answers about Il diplomatico se n'è andato all'improvviso, stanco di fare il bibliotecario in segreto.
Why does the sentence use fare il bibliotecario instead of lavorare come bibliotecario?
Both expressions can mean 'to work as a librarian.' However, fare il... (which requires a definite article like il) can also carry the nuance of 'acting as' or 'playing the role of' a profession. Since the diplomat is doing this in secret, fare il bibliotecario perfectly captures that sense of playing a role. If he were just formally and openly employed as one, lavorare come bibliotecario (which uses no article) would also be an option.
What is the infinitive of se n'è andato, and why are there so many small words before the verb?
The infinitive is andarsene (to leave or go away). It is a pronominal verb made from andare (to go) + the reflexive pronoun si (which changes to se here) + the particle ne (meaning 'from here'). In the passato prossimo, it requires the auxiliary verb essere, giving us se n'è andato.
Why do we need the preposition di in stanco di fare?
In Italian, the adjective stanco (tired) must be followed by the preposition di when connecting it to an infinitive verb. It translates directly to the English pattern 'tired of doing' something.
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