Breakdown of Ero troppo stordito e non sapevo che l'infermiere avesse cambiato la benda e la flebo.
essere
to be
e
and
non
not
troppo
too, too much, too many
avere
to have
sapere
to know
che
that (conjunction introducing a clause)
cambiare
to change
l'infermiere
the nurse (m)
stordito
groggy
la benda
the bandage
la flebo
the IV drip
Questions & Answers about Ero troppo stordito e non sapevo che l'infermiere avesse cambiato la benda e la flebo.
Why is avesse cambiato in the past perfect subjunctive (trapassato congiuntivo)?
The phrase non sapevo che (I didn't know that) is a negative statement of knowledge, which triggers the subjunctive. We use the past perfect subjunctive (avesse cambiato) rather than the imperfect subjunctive because the nurse's action happened before the moment in the past when the speaker didn't know about it.
If the sentence were affirmative (sapevo che...), would we still use the subjunctive?
No. Affirmative statements of knowledge express certainty and take the indicative mood. You would say sapevo che l'infermiere aveva cambiato... using the past perfect indicative. It is the negative (non sapevo) that introduces the doubt or unreality required to trigger the subjunctive here.
Why is it la flebo if the word ends in -o?
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