Breakdown of Dopo che il diavolo era partito, tutti dormirono.
dormire
to sleep
partire
to leave
il diavolo
the devil
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Questions & Answers about Dopo che il diavolo era partito, tutti dormirono.
Why does this sentence use era partito (trapassato prossimo) instead of the trapassato remoto (fu partito) taught in this lesson?
The trapassato remoto requires a strict, immediate sequence: 'the very moment after X happened, Y happened'. By using the trapassato prossimo (era partito), the sentence implies a looser timeline or sets up a background state. The devil had left at some earlier point, and then everyone slept, but not necessarily the exact second he walked out.
Could I use dopo che il diavolo fu partito here instead?
Yes, you absolutely could. Using the trapassato remoto (fu partito) would change the nuance to emphasize immediate anteriority. It would mean that everyone went to sleep the very instant the devil had departed, making the sequence of events much tighter.
Since dormirono is in the passato remoto, what does that tell us about the context?
It tells us this is a narrative set in the distant past. The passato remoto (dormirono) is primarily used in literature, historical writing, and storytelling (like fairy tales) to describe completed actions that have no psychological link to the present.
As a quick refresher, why does the participle partito end in -o?