Question 1

Why isn't there an article before economista? Shouldn't it be in quanto un economista?

Accepted Answer

When using in quanto to express a role, profession, or capacity (meaning 'as a'), Italian drops the article completely. You use in quanto directly followed by the noun, such as in quanto economista (as an economist) or in quanto madre (as a mother).

Question 2

Could I use come instead of in quanto here?

Accepted Answer

Yes! You could say come economista and it would mean exactly the same thing. Both in quanto and come are used to express a role, and both are followed by the noun without an article. In quanto just sounds slightly more formal or emphatic.

Question 3

I noticed economista ends in -a. Does that mean the speaker is definitely female?

Accepted Answer

Not necessarily. Professions ending in -ista (like economista, dentista, giornalista) are identical for both masculine and feminine in the singular. Normally you identify the gender by the article (il dentista vs. la dentista), but since in quanto drops the article, this sentence could be spoken by a man or a woman.

Question 4

Why is dovrebbe used here instead of deve?

Accepted Answer

Dovrebbe is the conditional form of dovere (to have to / must). While deve essere means 'must be,' using the conditional dovrebbe essere translates to 'should be.' It expresses an expectation, a logical conclusion, or a strong recommendation rather than an absolute obligation.

In quanto economista, la mia opinione dovrebbe essere imparziale.

Breakdown of In quanto economista, la mia opinione dovrebbe essere imparziale.

Questions & Answers about In quanto economista, la mia opinione dovrebbe essere imparziale.

Learn In quanto economista, la mia opinione dovrebbe essere imparziale and more in Italian