Italian clause analysis: main and subordinate clauses

Late September 2026: in Year 2 of high school (seconda superiore), in every track, the first term opens with analisi del periodo (the analysis of the complex sentence in Italian grammar), which will come back in the Year 10 INVALSI (the national standardised test) in May, together with poetry, metre, I promessi sposi (Manzoni’s novel) and the argumentative text. It is the first real grammar topic of the year, and the first test falls five to seven weeks away — so between the end of October and mid-November. If in Year 1 analisi logica (the analysis of the parts of a single sentence) had already put you to the test with complements, here the jump is one level up: it is no longer enough to analyse a single sentence, you have to understand how several clauses are linked to each other inside the same periodo (complex sentence).

This article is written for anyone studying Italian grammar, in Italy or abroad. The example sentences are in Italian, each with an English translation, and the Italian grammatical terms appear in italics the first time they are used.

Clause and sentence: the difference everything starts from

A clause (proposizione) is a unit built around a verb, in a finite or non-finite form, that expresses a piece of information. A complex sentence (periodo) is the set of one or more clauses linked together, from one full stop to the next (or from a colon, and in some cases a semicolon). The question you always start a clause analysis with is not “what does this sentence say”, but how many verbs are there: each finite verb normally signals an explicit clause, each verb in a non-finite form (infinitive, gerund, participle) signals a possible implicit clause.

The main clause: how to find it

The main clause (principale, or independent) is the clause that stands on its own, grammatically complete, without needing any other clause to make sense. It is not necessarily the first one in the sentence, nor the longest: it is the one that, if you remove all the others, still leaves a correct sentence.

The most reliable way to find it: mentally delete every clause introduced by a subordinating conjunction (che, poiché, quando, se, benché… — that, because, when, if, although…) or by a relative pronoun, and every implicit form (infinitive, gerund, participle) attached to a verb that governs another clause. What is left, if it is a sentence that makes complete sense, is the main clause.

Coordinate clauses: clauses on the same level

A coordinate clause (coordinata) is linked to another clause (main or subordinate) on the same syntactic level, without depending on it: it stands beside it, it is not subordinated. Coordinate clauses are told apart by the type of logical link they introduce:

A clause coordinated to a main clause stays on the level of the main clause (it is called coordinata alla principale); a clause coordinated to a subordinate stays on the level of that subordinate, sharing its degree.

Subordinate clauses: depending on another clause

A subordinate clause (subordinata) depends syntactically on another clause (the governing clause, reggente, which can be the main clause or another subordinate) and on its own does not make complete sense. Every subordinate has a degree (grado): first degree if it depends on the main clause, second degree if it depends on a first-degree subordinate, and so on.

Explicit and implicit

This is the first distinction to fix properly, because it runs through all the types of subordinate that follow:

• Explicit (esplicita): the verb is in a finite mood (indicative, subjunctive, conditional), so it has a subject of its own, expressed or understood but always identifiable with certainty.
• Implicit (implicita): the verb is in the infinitive, gerund or participle. It has no subject of its own expressed: the subject is worked out from the context, and often (not always) coincides with that of the governing clause.

The same idea, in explicit and implicit form: “Ho capito che avevo sbagliato” (“I understood that I had made a mistake”: explicit, with “che” + a verb in the indicative) against “Ho capito di aver sbagliato” (“I understood I had made a mistake”: implicit, with the infinitive). The meaning does not change much, the form does — and it is the form that the test asks you to recognise.

The subordinates most often asked in tests

Subject clause (soggettiva): it acts as the subject of a verb or impersonal expression in the governing clause (sembra, pare, è necessario, bisogna — it seems, it appears, it is necessary, one must). Explicit with che + subjunctive or indicative, implicit with the infinitive: “È necessario che tu studi con metodo” (“It is necessary that you study methodically”) / “È necessario studiare con metodo” (“It is necessary to study methodically”).

Object clause (oggettiva): it acts as the direct object of a verb in the governing clause that takes a direct object (verbs of saying, thinking, knowing, wanting). Explicit with che, implicit with the infinitive: “Penso che tu abbia ragione” (“I think you are right”) / “Penso di avere ragione” (“I think I am right”).

Declarative clause (dichiarativa): introduced by che or by an expression like “il fatto che” (the fact that), it explains or specifies a noun or pronoun of the governing clause (“Il fatto che tu sia arrivato tardi mi ha stupito”, “The fact that you arrived late surprised me”). It must be told apart from the object clause because it does not depend on a verb that takes a direct object, but on a noun.

Relative clause, proper and improper (relativa propria e impropria): introduced by a relative pronoun (che, il quale, cui — that, which/who, whom), it has a descriptive value if proper (“Il libro che ho letto è bello”, “The book that I read is good”: it merely adds a piece of information), whereas it has an additional logical value (causal, final, consecutive…) if improper (“Cercava qualcuno a cui affidare il compito”, “He was looking for someone to entrust the task to”, equivalent to “a cui potesse affidare”, “to whom he could entrust”).

Causal clause (causale): it expresses the real cause of what is said in the governing clause. Explicit with perché, poiché, siccome, dato che (because, since, as, given that) + indicative, implicit with the gerund or with per + infinitive: “Non sono uscito perché ero stanco” (“I did not go out because I was tired”) / “Essendo stanco, non sono uscito” (“Being tired, I did not go out”).

Final clause (finale, purpose): it expresses the aim, not yet achieved, of the action of the governing clause. Explicit with affinché, perché (so that) + subjunctive, implicit with per + infinitive or a + infinitive: “Studio affinché io possa migliorare” (“I study so that I can improve”) / “Studio per migliorare” (“I study to improve”).

Temporal clause (temporale): it places the action of the governing clause in time. Explicit with quando, mentre, dopo che, prima che (when, while, after, before) + indicative or subjunctive, implicit with the gerund (simultaneity) or the infinitive preceded by dopo/prima di: “Quando arrivai, tutti erano già seduti” (“When I arrived, everyone was already seated”) / “Arrivando, trovai tutti già seduti” (“On arriving, I found everyone already seated”).

Consecutive clause (consecutiva, result): it expresses the consequence of what is said in the governing clause, often announced by an intensifier (tanto, così, talmente — so, so much) in the governing clause itself. Explicit with che + indicative, implicit with da + infinitive: “Era così stanco che si addormentò subito” (“He was so tired that he fell asleep at once”) / “Era così stanco da addormentarsi subito” (“He was so tired as to fall asleep at once”).

Concessive clause (concessiva): it expresses an obstacle that nevertheless does not prevent what is said in the governing clause. Explicit with benché, sebbene, nonostante (although, even though, despite) + subjunctive, implicit with the gerund preceded by pur: “Sebbene fosse stanco, uscì lo stesso” (“Although he was tired, he went out all the same”) / “Pur essendo stanco, uscì lo stesso” (“Even though he was tired, he went out all the same”).

Conditional clause (conditional sentence) (ipotetica, periodo ipotetico): introduced by se (if), it forms with the governing clause the conditional sentence, which is divided into three types according to its relation to reality:

The case of “che”: one word, four functions

Che is probably the most ambiguous word in the whole of clause analysis, because it can be:

• a relative pronoun, if it replaces a noun already present in the sentence and introduces a proper relative clause: “Il libro che ho letto…” (“The book that I read…”; che = il libro).
• a declarative/object conjunction, if it introduces a subordinate that explains a noun or acts as the object of a verb: “So che hai ragione” (“I know that you are right”).
• a consecutive conjunction, paired with an intensifier in the governing clause: “È così tardi che dobbiamo andare” (“It is so late that we have to go”).
• a causal conjunction, in a less frequent but possible use in a colloquial or literary register: “Vieni, che ti aiuto” (“Come, I’ll help you”; = perché ti aiuto, because I’ll help you).

The criterion for telling them apart: if che replaces a specific noun already present in the sentence, it is relative; if it introduces a whole clause without replacing anything, it is a conjunction, and the type of conjunction is decided by looking at what is in the governing clause (an intensifier → consecutive; a verb that takes an object, or an impersonal expression → declarative/object).

The method, step by step

1. Divide the sentence into clauses, counting the finite verbs (one for each explicit clause) and the non-finite verbs that govern a logical subject of their own (one for each implicit clause, when it makes sense to separate it).
2. Find the main clause: the one that still makes complete sense when you remove all the others.
3. For every other clause, first ask whether it is coordinate or subordinate: is it linked by a coordinating conjunction (e, ma, o, quindi… — and, but, or, so…) to another clause on the same level, or does it depend syntactically on another clause?
4. If it is subordinate, establish the degree: what does it depend on directly? If it depends on the main clause it is first degree; if it depends on a first-degree subordinate it is second degree, and so on.
5. Establish whether it is explicit or implicit: finite verb or infinitive/gerund/participle?
6. Assign the type, looking at the conjunction (if explicit) or at the verb form and the context (if implicit): subject, object, declarative, relative, causal, final, temporal, consecutive, concessive, conditional.

A tree diagram, indented by degree, makes the structure visible better than a flat list:

Main clause
  └─ Subordinate of 1st degree (type, explicit/implicit)
       └─ Subordinate of 2nd degree (type, explicit/implicit)
  └─ Coordinate to the main clause

Three sentences analysed in full

1. A simple structure, with a temporal and a final clause

“Quando arrivai a scuola, cercai subito la mia amica per raccontarle la notizia.” (“When I arrived at school, I immediately looked for my friend to tell her the news.”)

The two subordinates both depend directly on the main clause, but they are of different types: one places the action in time (when), the other indicates its aim (what for). They are on the same degree but they are not coordinated with each other, because there is no coordinating conjunction linking them — they depend independently on the same main clause.

2. A case with an implicit gerund clause and a coordinate

“Non avendo studiato abbastanza, Marco era preoccupato per la verifica, ma decise comunque di ripassare fino a tardi.” (“Not having studied enough, Marco was worried about the test, but he decided anyway to revise until late.”)

Here the coordinate “ma decise comunque” is linked to the main clause with the adversative conjunction “ma”, and in turn governs a subordinate of its own, an implicit object clause (“di ripassare”): a coordinate clause can govern subordinates of its own, exactly like a main clause.

3. The ambiguous “che”, in a denser sentence

“Era così stanco che non riusciva a concentrarsi, e sperava che la verifica, che aveva studiato con cura, andasse bene.” (“He was so tired that he could not concentrate, and hoped that the test, which he had studied carefully, would go well.”)

The three “che” in the sentence have different functions, and it is the point this exercise insists on on purpose: the first is a consecutive conjunction (there is “così” in the governing clause, and it introduces a consequence), the second is an object conjunction (it depends on the verb “sperava”, which takes an object), the third is a relative pronoun (it replaces “la verifica”, already named, and introduces additional information about it). The exact same written sign, three different functions, always decided by the same criterion: what it depends on and what it replaces, not how the sentence sounds.

Why you need it for Latin and foreign languages too

The same reasoning — finding the governing clause, recognising the type of clause that depends on it, telling explicit from implicit — is the basis for translating a Latin passage (versione) or for building a complex sentence in French or English: the language changes, not the logic with which you break the sentence down.

How we work on this in lessons

We always start from short sentences with a single subordinate, and only afterwards do we bring in cases with two or three clauses together, like the third example above. The ambiguous “che” we train separately, with about ten sentences in which the only question is “what function does this che have”, until the criterion becomes a reflex instead of a doubt every time.

If last year in Year 1 analisi logica was already a problem, it is worth revising it before tackling clause analysis: we talked about it in sentence analysis in Year 1, the step just before this one. If you study Latin, the same logic of governing and subordinate clauses comes back identical in translating passages: you can see it applied in Latin translations in Year 2. Later in the year, when you move on to the poetic text, you find the method in paraphrase and analysis of the poetic text in Year 3 — a year further on, but useful to see where this work on grammar leads. And if the language-focused high school (liceo linguistico) keeps you busy with French as well, in passé composé or imparfait you find the same practical approach applied to another language.

The same reasoning about subordinates comes back in English, where the conditional sentence follows patterns different from Italian: I have set them out in the post on conditionals.

The practice tests we have on the site cover maths and physics for now, not yet first-two-years Italian: you can still find them on the school practice tests page, useful if in this period you also have to keep your average up in those subjects: the correct answer to every question is free, the guided solution unlocks with your first lesson. For the full picture of Italian and the other humanities subjects there is the humanities subjects page; if you want a hand setting this chapter up properly before the test, start with the free introductory call.