Breakdown of Questo bosco buio ci affascina e ha un che di fiabesco.
e
and
questo
this (masculine)
avere
to have
ci
us (direct object)
Questions & Answers about Questo bosco buio ci affascina e ha un che di fiabesco.
How does the phrase un che di fiabesco work grammatically?
The structure un che di is a fixed phrase meaning "a certain something" or "a touch of." Here, che acts as a noun. It is always followed by di and a masculine singular adjective, which in this case is fiabesco (fairytale-like). It is a highly natural way to describe an undefinable or elusive quality.
Could I just say qualcosa di fiabesco instead?
Why does ci come before the verb in ci affascina?
Ci is a direct object pronoun here, meaning "us." It is easy for English speakers to accidentally treat "fascinate" as a verb that takes an indirect object (similar to how piacere works), but affascinare takes a direct object. Because affascina is a standard conjugated verb in the present tense, the pronoun must go directly before it.
Why use buio instead of oscuro for "dark" in this sentence?
Buio describes a literal lack of light, which perfectly describes the physical state of a dense forest. Oscuro can also mean physically dark, but it carries a heavier metaphorical weight, often meaning "obscure," "gloomy," or "sinister."