Breakdown of È ancora stordita e non sa che i propri ricordi siano sul punto di riaffiorare.
essere
to be
e
and
non
not
su
on, about
sapere
to know
ancora
yet / still
che
that (conjunction introducing a clause)
di
to (linking a verb to a following infinitive)
il ricordo
the memory (recollection)
il punto
the point
proprio
one's own
stordito
groggy
riaffiorare
to resurface
Questions & Answers about È ancora stordita e non sa che i propri ricordi siano sul punto di riaffiorare.
Why do we use the subjunctive siano instead of the indicative sono?
Why does the sentence use propri instead of suoi for "her"?
Proprio (here in the masculine plural propri) translates to "one's own". Whenever the possessor is also the subject of the main clause, Italian often uses proprio instead of standard possessives like suo or sua. This emphasizes that they are her own memories and guarantees there is no ambiguity about whose memories they are.
If the sentence is about her, why can't we use di + infinitive instead of che + subjunctive?
You use di + infinitive when the subject of both verbs is exactly the same. Here, the subject of the main clause is "she" (non sa), but the subject of the dependent clause is "her memories" (i propri ricordi siano). Since the subjects are different, you must use che with a conjugated verb.
How does the phrase sul punto di work?
It is a common fixed expression meaning "on the verge of" or "about to". It is always followed by an infinitive verb, which is why we see the unconjugated verb riaffiorare (to resurface) right after it.
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