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Dobbiamo presentare il grafico entro domani, altrimenti c'è una penalità.

Dobbiamo presentare il grafico entro domani, altrimenti c'è una penalità.
We must present the chart by tomorrow, otherwise there is a penalty.
From Lesson 455:Otherwise (altrimenti)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Dobbiamo presentare il grafico entro domani, altrimenti c'è una penalità.

Why is c'è in the indicative mood after altrimenti? Shouldn't conditional connectors take the subjunctive?
While many conditional connectors like a patto che (provided that) require the subjunctive, altrimenti (otherwise) acts more like a coordinating conjunction. It links two independent statements. Since the consequence is stated as a factual rule here, the indicative mood c'è is correct. You would only use the conditional mood, like ci sarebbe, if you were presenting the penalty as a hypothetical scenario rather than a confirmed consequence.
Could I use fino a domani instead of entro domani here?
No, because they describe time differently. Entro translates to "by" or "no later than" a specific deadline, which fits a one-time action like submitting a chart. Fino a means "until," which implies an action happening continuously up to a certain point. Saying fino a domani would weirdly suggest you are in the continuous, non-stop process of presenting the chart from now until tomorrow.
Why does the sentence use the present tense c'è instead of the future tense ci sarà for a penalty that happens tomorrow?
In Italian, it is very common to use the present indicative to talk about future events when they are scheduled, highly certain, or part of a set rule. Because the penalty is a fixed consequence of missing the deadline, c'è (there is) sounds immediate and factual. Using the future tense ci sarà (there will be) would also be grammatically correct but feels slightly less immediate.
Does grafico only mean "chart" in Italian?
Grafico is quite versatile. In a business or academic context like this, it means a "chart" or "graph" (like a pie chart or a line graph). However, as a noun it can also refer to a "graphic designer," and as an adjective, it means "graphic."

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