Breakdown of Non sapevo che mi avessero ricoverato in ospedale a causa dell'amnesia.
non
not
l'ospedale
the hospital
avere
to have
in
in / made of (material)
sapere
to know
mi
me (direct object)
che
that (conjunction introducing a clause)
a causa di
due to, because of
ricoverare
to admit to hospital
l'amnesia
amnesia
Questions & Answers about Non sapevo che mi avessero ricoverato in ospedale a causa dell'amnesia.
Why is avessero ricoverato in the subjunctive mood?
The main clause Non sapevo is a negative declaration of knowledge. While stating that you know a fact takes the indicative, stating that you didn't know something introduces a level of doubt, ignorance, or subjectivity from the speaker's past perspective, which triggers the subjunctive in Italian.
Why do we use the pluperfect subjunctive here instead of the imperfect subjunctive?
The main verb Non sapevo is in a past tense. To show that the hospital admission happened before the moment of not knowing, we must use the pluperfect subjunctive (avessero ricoverato). If the hospital admission was happening at the exact same time as not knowing, we would use the imperfect subjunctive (ricoverassero).
Who is the 'they' implied by avessero ricoverato?
Why does the sentence use in ospedale instead of nell'ospedale?
For common institutions like hospitals, banks, or churches, Italian typically uses the preposition in without a definite article when referring to the general purpose of the place (like receiving medical care). You would only use nell'ospedale if you were talking about the physical building of a specific, previously mentioned hospital.
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