Breakdown of Sembra severo, ma in fondo è gentile.
gentile
kind
severo
strict
sembrare
to seem
in fondo
after all, deep down; in fondo a = at the bottom of, at the end of
Questions & Answers about Sembra severo, ma in fondo è gentile.
The current lesson is about tuttavia (however) and eppure (and yet). Could we use one of those instead of ma in this sentence?
Does severo mean severe, like a severe storm?
Usually not. When describing people, severo is a classic false friend that actually means strict, demanding, or stern (like a strict teacher). If you wanted to talk about a severe illness or a severe storm, you would use words like grave or forte.
How does in fondo translate to deep down?
Literally, in fondo means at the bottom or at the end (for example, in fondo alla strada means at the end of the street). When talking about someone's personality, it is used figuratively to mean at the bottom of their character, which translates perfectly to the English phrase deep down or at the end of the day.
Why is there no subject pronoun like lui (he) before sembra or è?
Italian drops subject pronouns most of the time because the verb forms (sembra and è) already tell us it is a third-person subject. You would only add lui (he) if you needed to clear up confusion about who you are talking about, or to place heavy emphasis on the person.
Learn Sembra severo, ma in fondo è gentile 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