Finito il caffè, chi ha fretta, chi preferisce disconnettersi.

Questions & Answers about Finito il caffè, chi ha fretta, chi preferisce disconnettersi.

How does chi ... chi ... work here, and why doesn't it mean "who"?
When repeated, chi ... chi ... acts as a distributive correlative to divide a larger group into contrasting subgroups. It translates to "some ... some ..." or "one ... another ...". In this sentence, it splits the group of coffee drinkers into those who are rushing and those who are relaxing.
Why is the verb after chi in the singular (ha, preferisce) if the English translation uses the plural "some"?
Even though the English translation uses the plural "some", the Italian pronoun chi is structurally singular. Because of this rule, any verbs that follow it must always be conjugated in the third-person singular.
Why does the sentence start with just Finito il caffè instead of a full clause like Dopo aver finito il caffè?
This is an absolute past participle construction. It is a concise and elegant way in Italian to express "Once something is finished" or "After something happened." At the B2 level, using this structure instead of a full time clause makes your Italian sound much more cohesive and native-like.
Why do we use the verb ha for being in a hurry?
Italian uses the verb avere (to have) combined with the noun fretta (haste) to express being in a hurry. Just like avere fame (to be hungry) or avere pazienza (to be patient), avere fretta is a standard idiomatic expression that you cannot translate word-for-word into English.

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