Forse è l'ora che io entri in gioco. (en → it)

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Forse è l'ora che io entri in gioco.

en: Maybe it is time for me to enter the game.

Duolingo forum topic: https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/19863028

[gmads]

Someone on the Duolingo forum asked: "Please explain to me why 'Forse è tempo per me entrare il gioco' is wrong?"

It is better that I give the floor to CivisRomanus so that he can explain it to us.

For two reasons:

1) enter the game = entrare in gioco

In Italian entrare is intransitive, so you cannot "enter something" but "into something."

2) A preposition is missing before entrare.

In this sentence, che io entri in gioco is a subordinate (or dependent) clause, which depends on the main clause Forse è ora.

In Italian, most subordinate clauses can follow two different constructions:

[edited]

1.  the most common type is introduced by a conjunction, such as che (more often), perché , sebbene , purché, etc., the clause has a subject, and the verb takes a finite form, i.e. a certain tense (this may require the subjunctive mood, depending on the verb of the main clause):

– (Io) penso che [conjunction] (voi) [subject] siate stanchi. [present subjunctive]

– Paolo credeva che [conjunction] (lui) [subject] fosse il più bravo. [impefect subjunctive]

– (Noi) sappiamo che [conjunction] (noi) [subject] abbiamo sbagliato. [present perfect]

– Forse è tempo che [conjunction] io [subject] entri in gioco. [present subjunctive]

This type of construction is known as the explicit form.

2.  The second type of construction can be used only when the subject of the main clause and the subject of the subordinate clause are the same person.

The second construction is introduced by a simple preposition, more often di, or a , or per, the subject of the subordinate clause is left out, and and the verb is always used in a non-finite form, usually the infinitive form (in few cases the gerund).

This is called the implicit form of the subordinate clause.

Among the four previous examples, in the second sentence both clauses share the same subject (Paolo / lui), so the implicit form can be used:

– Paolo credeva di [preposition] essere [infinitive] il più bravo.

Also in the third sentence the two clauses share the same subject (noi), so the implicit form is:

– (Noi) sappiamo di [preposition] aver(e) sbagliato. [perfect infinitive]

When using the implicit form, since the subordinate clause does not have a subject of its own, it is understood that both clauses share the subject of the main clause.

When the implicit form can be used (i.e. when the two clauses share the same subject), native speakers tend to prefer it, and in some cases using the explicit form can sound unnatural.

In the fourth sample sentence, the main clause does not have a specific subject (in è tempo, the verb is used impersonally, while the English version it is time has a dummy pronoun, it ).

In this case, the implicit form can still be formed; but since in the subordinate clause the verb takes a non-finite form (which cannot have a subject), who performs the action must be indicated in some other way, e.g. per me:

– Forse è tempo per me di [preposition] entrare [infinitive] in gioco.

alternatively:

– Per me forse è tempo di entrare in gioco.

Speaking of the difference between è ora and è tempo, in this sentence either of the two is correct.

But while è ora would be used speaking of a short period of time (e.g. "it is time for me to go home"), è tempo would be used speaking of a longer period of time (e.g. "it is time for the country to unify").

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