Breakdown of Saremmo sprofondati nel prato fradicio malgrado la pedana.
essere
to be
nel
in the (in + il) / while / upon (doing something)
il prato
the lawn
malgrado
despite (in spite of)
sprofondare
to sink (collapse, cave in, sink into)
fradicio
soaking wet
la pedana
the platform (footboard, dais)
Questions & Answers about Saremmo sprofondati nel prato fradicio malgrado la pedana.
Why is it followed directly by la pedana? Doesn't malgrado need another preposition or che?
When used with a noun, malgrado (just like nonostante) acts as a simple preposition meaning "despite." It connects directly to the noun (la pedana) without needing an extra connector like di. You only need to add che (and use the subjunctive) if malgrado is followed by a conjugated verb.
Why do we use saremmo (from essere) instead of the conditional for avere for "we would have"?
The verb sprofondare (to sink) is an intransitive verb that expresses a change of state or location. Like many similar verbs in Italian, it requires essere as its auxiliary in compound tenses. Because it takes essere, the past participle must also agree with the subject, which is why it ends in -i (sprofondati) for a masculine or mixed plural "we".
What does the past conditional saremmo sprofondati imply in the context of this sentence?
The past conditional (condizionale passato) is used here to describe an unrealized past event. It tells us what would have happened but ultimately didn't. The implication is that the speakers did not actually sink, precisely because the platform was there to prevent it.
What is the difference between fradicio and a standard word for "wet" like bagnato?
Fradicio is a much stronger adjective meaning "soaking wet," "drenched," or "waterlogged." While bagnato simply means "wet," fradicio emphasizes an extreme state of wetness, which explains why the lawn was so soft that they nearly sank into it. Note that fradicio can also mean "rotten" when applied to organic things like wood or fruit.
Learn Saremmo sprofondati nel prato fradicio malgrado la pedana and more in Italian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free