Breakdown of A forza di litigare, il loro legame si è incrinato.
essere
to be
loro
their
si
himself, herself, themselves (reflexive)
litigare
to argue
il legame
the bond
a forza di
by dint of / by constantly
incrinare
to crack / to strain
Questions & Answers about A forza di litigare, il loro legame si è incrinato.
How does a forza di change the meaning compared to just saying perché hanno litigato?
A forza di (just like a furia di) specifically emphasizes repetition or intensity. It translates to 'by dint of' or 'from doing something so much.' You use it with a present infinitive to show that a repeatedly performed action caused the final result.
Normally, an implicit clause with an infinitive needs the same subject as the main clause. Since 'the bond' didn't argue, why is a forza di litigare grammatically acceptable here?
Great catch! You are right that implicit clauses usually share the main clause's subject. However, Italian allows exceptions when the logical connection is undeniably clear. Here, the people arguing are the owners of the bond (il loro legame). Because this possession links the logical subjects of litigare directly to the grammatical subject of the main clause, the sentence sounds perfectly natural.
What is the literal meaning of the verb incrinarsi?
Literally, incrinarsi means 'to crack' or 'to chip', usually referring to delicate things like glass or ceramics. At the B2 level, you will often see it used metaphorically to describe trust, voices, or relationships becoming damaged, strained, or weakened.
Why does si è incrinato use essere as its auxiliary verb?
The verb here is incrinarsi, which is being used as an intransitive pronominal verb (acting like a reflexive verb to show the bond cracked or weakened 'itself'). In compound tenses like the passato prossimo, all reflexive and pronominal verbs require the auxiliary essere, and the past participle must agree with the subject (il legame is masculine singular).
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