Con Te Partirò

Grammar focus

'Sogno' is the present indicative of 'sognare' (to dream) — first person singular. Notice 'all'orizzonte' = 'a + l'orizzonte', a contracted preposition (preposizione articolata). 'Mancan' is the dropped form of 'mancano' — the third person plural of the verb 'mancare', which works backwards in Italian: 'le parole mancano' literally = 'the words are lacking', i.e. 'I am missing the words'. This 'inverted' verb pattern is the same as 'piacere' (to please/like).

Grammar focus

'Lo so che' = 'I know it that...' — Italian frequently uses the redundant pronoun 'lo' before 'che' clauses, where English just says 'I know that'. 'Non c'è' is the negative of 'c'è' (there is) — one of the most useful constructions in everyday Italian. And again 'manca il sole' uses our reverse-pattern verb: literally 'the sun is missing', meaning 'we lack the sun'.

Grammar focus

Three future tenses in two lines: 'partirò' (from partire, regular -ire), 'vivrò' (from vivere, irregular contracted future). Notice 'veduto' instead of the modern 'visto' — this is a literary alternative past participle of 'vedere'. The pronoun 'li' (them, masculine plural direct object) refers back to 'paesi' (countries/places) and is placed before the conjugated verb, exactly where Italian object pronouns belong.

Grammar focus

Bocelli switches from 'quando sono solo' (Verse 1) to 'quando sei lontana' (Verse 2), addressing his beloved directly with the informal 'tu'. 'Lontana' is the feminine form of 'lontano' — Italian adjectives must agree in gender with the noun (or person) they describe. If he were singing to a man it would be 'lontano'; to a group of women, 'lontane'.

Grammar focus

'Su navi per mari' uses 'su' (on) and 'per' (across/through) without articles — a common poetic compression. 'Che... non esistono più' is a relative clause with 'che' as the subject ('seas that no longer exist'). The phrase 'non... più' is the Italian way to say 'no longer / not anymore' — extremely common, always sandwiched around the verb: non vedo più, non parla più, non esistono più.