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Perdono il tradimento, basta che tu non mi elimini.

Perdono il tradimento, basta che tu non mi elimini.
I forgive the betrayal, as long as you don't eliminate me.
From Lesson 420:Provided that (basta che)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Perdono il tradimento, basta che tu non mi elimini.

Why is elimini in the subjunctive mood in this sentence?
Because it follows basta che (as long as / provided that). This phrase sets up a condition for the main action to happen. In Italian, conjunctions that express conditions, requirements, or exceptions almost always trigger the subjunctive.
Why is the subject pronoun tu explicitly used here when Italian usually drops pronouns?
In the present subjunctive, the singular forms (io, tu, and lui/lei/Lei) of regular verbs are completely identical. For the verb eliminare, they are all elimini. Including tu removes any ambiguity about who is doing the action.
Doesn't basta che literally mean "it is enough that"?
Exactly! The literal translation is "I forgive the betrayal, it is enough that you don't eliminate me." In conversational Italian, this phrasing has become the most common way to say "as long as" or "provided that."
Where does the object pronoun mi go in a negative subjunctive clause like this?
It follows the standard rule for conjugated verbs: the object pronoun (mi) goes immediately before the verb (elimini). The negative word (non) always goes right before the pronoun, giving us non mi elimini.

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