subjunctive mood in Italian 'potere

This exercise tests knowledge of the subjunctive mood in Italian, which is often required after expressions of hope, desire, or doubt. The sentence is:
Spero che tu ______ arrivare in orario.

The options are:
a) possi
b) puoi
c) possa

Explanation

• The verb "sperare che" triggers the subjunctive ("congiuntivo") because it expresses hope or a wish.

• "Tu possa" is the second person singular (you) present subjunctive of potere.

• "Puoi" is the present indicative (not used after spero che).

• "Possi" is not a correct conjugation of potere.

Full translation:

Spero che tu possa arrivare in orario.
"I hope you can arrive on time."

So, the correct answer is possa because it matches the grammatical requirements of the sentence. This is a classic test of the use of the subjunctive with verbs of hope or emotion.

 Potessi is the imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto), while the sentence Spero che tu possa arrivare in orario requires the present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente), which is possa.

Why "possa" and not "potessi"?

• Use the present subjunctive (possa) after expressions of hope (spero che) when the main verb (spero) is in the present tense and refers to a possibility or wish about the present or future.

• Potessi would be used if the main clause were in the past (imperfect, conditional, or if the situation were hypothetical or contrary to fact).

Example for "potessi"

Speravo che tu potessi arrivare in orario.
"I hoped you could arrive on time." (Hope/wish set in the past)

So, in your original sentence (Spero che tu possa arrivare in orario), the correct form is possa because the main verb (spero) is in the present, referring to a hope for the present or future.

The sentence is _______ che fossimo sulla strada giusta. with the correct answer: Credevo.

Explanation

• Credevo means "I believed" or "I used to think" and is the imperfect indicative form of credere ("to believe").

• The subordinate clause che fossimo sulla strada giusta ("that we were on the right path") uses the imperfect subjunctive (fossimo) because it's triggered by a verb of believing in the past, reflecting the Italian "sequence of tenses" (consecutio temporum).

• Options a) Credesse and b) Creda are forms of the subjunctive but would be used in different grammatical contexts (e.g., wishing or conjecturing about someone else's belief).

Full translation:

Credevo che fossimo sulla strada giusta.
"I thought (believed) that we were on the right path."

This structure matches Italian grammar convention: past indicative in the main clause ("I believed") is followed by imperfect subjunctive in the dependent clause. This is a classic illustration of consecutio temporum in Italian.