"La scatola non si apriva completamente."
Translation:The box was not opening all the way.
May 5, 2013
33 CommentsThis discussion is locked.
This discussion is locked.
I think it is a reflexive construction. There is no exact translation to English but it is something like:
La scatola, non, si . . , apriva , completamente. =
The box . , not, itself, opened, completely. ~
The box did not open itself completely. ~
The bod would not open completely. ~
The box was not opening completely.
Koolkaren
1493
It did not accept my translation "The box was not completely open." Does this Italian sentence give more the sense that the box could not be opened further, or only that it hadn't been opened further?
TheFinkie
1221
No, "apriva" is a verb, so the English translation must use open as a verb. Your sentence uses it as an adjective.