Breakdown of Ha detto che l'affare sfumava senza un chiarimento.
un
a / an (masculine)
senza
without
dire
to say, to tell
che
that (conjunction introducing a clause)
l'affare
the bargain, the deal (m)
il chiarimento
the clarification
sfumare
to fall through, to fade away
Questions & Answers about Ha detto che l'affare sfumava senza un chiarimento.
Why is the imperfect tense sfumava translated as "would fall through"?
In colloquial Italian, the imperfect indicative is frequently used to express the "future in the past." The speaker is reporting a past statement (Ha detto) about something that was in the future at that time. While formal grammar calls for a different tense, everyday spoken Italian often simplifies this by using the imperfect.
If this were a formal written text, what tense would replace sfumava?
In formal Italian, you must use the past conditional to express the future in the past. The sentence would become: Ha detto che l'affare sarebbe sfumato senza un chiarimento.
Could I use the present conditional and say sfumerebbe to mean "would fall through"?
No, that is a common trap for English speakers! In English, we use "would" for both the present conditional and the future in the past. In Italian, reporting a future event from a past perspective (Ha detto che...) always requires a past-oriented tense. You must use either the past conditional (sarebbe sfumato) or the colloquial imperfect (sfumava). The present conditional (sfumerebbe) is strictly for present or future hypotheticals.
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