Breakdown of La mattina che hai fatto retromarcia senza guardare lo specchietto, hai urtato il muro.
avere
to have
guardare
to look at / to watch
la mattina
the morning
senza
without
fare
to do / to make
che
who, that (relative pronoun)
il muro
the wall
urtare
to bump into
la retromarcia
the reverse gear
lo specchietto
the rearview mirror
Questions & Answers about La mattina che hai fatto retromarcia senza guardare lo specchietto, hai urtato il muro.
Why is che used after La mattina instead of quando or in cui?
How does the phrase hai fatto retromarcia work?
Why is the infinitive guardare used after senza instead of a conjugated verb?
When the subject of the main action (you backing up) is the exact same as the subject of the secondary action (you not looking), Italian uses senza followed by the infinitive. If the subjects were different, you would need to use senza che followed by the subjunctive.
Why does the sentence use lo specchietto instead of just lo specchio for "the mirror"?
Specchietto features the diminutive suffix -etto, literally making it a "little mirror." This word is the standard, everyday term for a car's rearview or side mirror, which distinguishes it from a regular wall mirror (specchio).
Could I use colpito instead of urtato for "hit"?
You could, but urtare (to bump into, to collide with) is the most natural verb for accidental collisions, particularly those involving vehicles or clumsy movements. Colpire (to strike/hit) often sounds more active or intentional.
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