Italian Verb Entries [FS26]

Italian attitude and causative-attitude verbs, with emphasis on the di/a infinitival alternation documented in [FS26].

The di/a Alternation

Italian convincere ('convince') selects two distinct infinitival complements: di + infinitive ("Maria ha convinto Paolo di essere in pericolo", 'Maria convinced Paolo that he was in danger') and a + infinitive ("Maria ha convinto Paolo a partire", 'Maria convinced Paolo to leave'). The entries record which complementizers each verb selects; [FS26]'s analysis of the alternation — complement size determining the belief/intention reading — lives in Studies/FuscoSgrizzi2026.lean.

inductive Italian.Predicates.InfComplementizer : Type

Italian infinitival complementizers, each associated with a complement size.

• di: introduces CP-sized infinitival complements (propositional)
• a: introduces sub-CP (aP) infinitival complements (event predicate)
• che: introduces full finite CP complements

• di : InfComplementizer
• a_ : InfComplementizer

@[instance_reducible]

instance Italian.Predicates.instDecidableEqInfComplementizer : DecidableEq InfComplementizer

Equations

• Italian.Predicates.instDecidableEqInfComplementizer x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯

def Italian.Predicates.instReprInfComplementizer.repr : InfComplementizer → ℕ → Std.Format

Equations

• One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.

@[instance_reducible]

instance Italian.Predicates.instReprInfComplementizer : Repr InfComplementizer

Equations

• Italian.Predicates.instReprInfComplementizer = { reprPrec := Italian.Predicates.instReprInfComplementizer.repr }

structure Italian.Predicates.ItalianVerbEntryextends Verb : Type

An Italian verb entry extending Verb with the infinitival complementizer alternation.

• frames : List Frame
• subjectEntailments : Option ArgumentStructure.EntailmentProfile
• objectEntailments : Option ArgumentStructure.EntailmentProfile
• unaccusative : Bool
• voiceType : Option VoiceType
• passivizable : Bool
• implicitObj : Option ImplicitInterp
• implicitGoal : Option ImplicitInterp
• vendlerClass : Option Features.VendlerClass
• degreeAchievementScale : Option Features.DegreeAchievement.DegreeAchievementScale
• verbIncClass : Option Semantics.Aspect.Incremental.VerbIncClass
• cosType : Option Features.ChangeOfState.CoSType
• presupType : Option PresupTriggerType
• projectionBehavior : Option ProjectionBehavior
• implicative : Option Implicative
• causative : Option Causative
• causalSource : Option Causation.Psych.CausalSource
• opaqueContext : Bool
• attitude : Option Features.Attitude
• readings : List Reading
• complementSig : Option NaturalLogic.Signature
• levinClass : Option ArgumentStructure.LevinClass
• root : Root
• form : String
• speechActVerb : Bool
• senseTag : SenseTag
• infComplements : List InfComplementizer

  Which infinitival complementizers the verb selects

@[instance_reducible]

instance Italian.Predicates.instReprItalianVerbEntry : Repr ItalianVerbEntry

Equations

• Italian.Predicates.instReprItalianVerbEntry = { reprPrec := Italian.Predicates.instReprItalianVerbEntry.repr }

def Italian.Predicates.instReprItalianVerbEntry.repr : ItalianVerbEntry → ℕ → Std.Format

Equations

• One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.

def Italian.Predicates.instBEqItalianVerbEntry.beq : ItalianVerbEntry → ItalianVerbEntry → Bool

Equations

• Italian.Predicates.instBEqItalianVerbEntry.beq { toVerb := a, infComplements := a_1 } { toVerb := b, infComplements := b_1 } = (a == b && a_1 == b_1)
• Italian.Predicates.instBEqItalianVerbEntry.beq x✝¹ x✝ = false

@[instance_reducible]

instance Italian.Predicates.instBEqItalianVerbEntry : BEq ItalianVerbEntry

Equations

• Italian.Predicates.instBEqItalianVerbEntry = { beq := Italian.Predicates.instBEqItalianVerbEntry.beq }

def Italian.Predicates.convincere : ItalianVerbEntry

convincere 'convince' — causative attitude verb with dual infinitival selection. Takes di-infinitives (belief) and a-infinitives (intention).

[FS26], ex. (4):

• (4a) Marco ha convinto Gianni di avere un figlio (belief)
• (4b) Marco ha convinto Gianni a avere un figlio (intention)

Equations

• One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.

def Italian.Predicates.credere : ItalianVerbEntry

credere 'believe' — standard doxastic attitude verb. Takes di-infinitives and che-finite clauses (belief only).

Equations

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def Italian.Predicates.volere : ItalianVerbEntry

volere 'want' — core desiderative verb, robustly subjunctive-selecting.

[Gra24], Table 1: Italian 'want' takes SBJV (marginally %IND).

• (4a) Gianni vuole che Maria sia/%è contenta. (SBJV preferred)
• (4b) Gianni vuole essere contento. (INF)

Equations

• One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.

def Italian.Predicates.sperare : ItalianVerbEntry

sperare 'hope' — cross-linguistically variable mood selection.

[Gra24], Table 1: Italian 'hope' takes SBJV, %IND marginal.

• (12) Gianni spera che Maria sia/%è contenta. (SBJV preferred) Unlike volere, sperare allows indicative marginally in Italian and freely in other Romance languages (French espérer, Portuguese esperar).

Equations

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def Italian.Predicates.intendere : ItalianVerbEntry

intendere 'intend' — intention-reporting verb, robustly rejects indicative.

[Gra24], §2.2: Italian 'intend' primarily uses the periphrastic avere intenzione di or the control verb intendere. Indicative complements are never accepted. The rare literary usage with subjunctive (ex. 30, from Treccani) has a 'demand'-like interpretation.

• (20) Intendo / Ho intenzione di andare al parco oggi. (INF only)
• (28) *Intendo che Giovanni vada/va al parco oggi. (rejected)

Equations

• One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.

def Italian.Predicates.fare_caus : ItalianVerbEntry

fare 'make' — causative verb, robustly rejects indicative.

[Gra24], §2.4: Italian causatives accept nonfinite and subjunctive (with sì che) but reject indicative complements.

• (39) Ho fatto andare Giovanni al parco. (INF)
• (42a) Ho fatto sì che Giovanni andasse/*è andato al parco. (SBJV/*IND)

Equations

• One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.

theorem Italian.Predicates.volere_is_want_class : volere.levinClass = some ArgumentStructure.LevinClass.want

volere has Levin want-class (core desiderative).

theorem Italian.Predicates.sperare_not_want_class : sperare.levinClass ≠ some ArgumentStructure.LevinClass.want

sperare does NOT have Levin want-class (explains mood variation).

theorem Italian.Predicates.intendere_is_want_class : intendere.levinClass = some ArgumentStructure.LevinClass.want

intendere has Levin want-class (patterns with volere on mood).

theorem Italian.Predicates.mood_asymmetry_predicted : volere.levinClass = some ArgumentStructure.LevinClass.want ∧ intendere.levinClass = some ArgumentStructure.LevinClass.want ∧ sperare.levinClass ≠ some ArgumentStructure.LevinClass.want

volere and intendere share want-class; sperare does not. This predicts the mood choice asymmetry: volere/intendere robustly reject indicative, while sperare varies ([Gra24], Table 1).