Breakdown of Non sono sicuro che queste leve seguano una sequenza.
essere
to be
una
a / an (feminine)
questa
this (feminine)
non
not
seguire
to follow
che
that (conjunction introducing a clause)
la leva
the lever
la sequenza
the sequence
sicuro
sure, certain
Questions & Answers about Non sono sicuro che queste leve seguano una sequenza.
Why do we use the subjunctive seguano here instead of the indicative seguono?
The phrase Non sono sicuro che (I am not sure that) is a negative declaration of certainty. Because it introduces doubt and uncertainty into the statement, it triggers the subjunctive mood for the verb in the following clause.
If the sentence were affirmative ("I am sure that..."), would I still use the subjunctive?
Seguire is an -ire verb. Why does seguano have an -a in the ending?
In the present subjunctive, regular -ere and -ire verbs take endings with the vowel -a (rather than the -i or -o you see in the present indicative). For the "they" (loro) form, this results in the -ano ending, giving us seguano.
How would I say "I'm not sure that I follow a sequence" using this structure?
You wouldn't use che and the subjunctive because the subject of both halves of the sentence would be the same (I am not sure -> I follow). When the subject doesn't change, Italian typically uses di plus the infinitive verb. You would say: Non sono sicuro di seguire una sequenza.
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