Canto una ninnananna prima del sonnellino.

In Italian, the subject pronoun is often omitted because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

• canto = I sing
• canti = you sing
• canta = he/she sings

So Canto una ninnananna... naturally means I sing a lullaby... without needing io.

You could say Io canto una ninnananna..., but it usually adds emphasis, such as I sing a lullaby.

Canto is the present indicative of cantare.

Here it means I sing. Depending on context, the Italian present can also sometimes correspond to English I am singing, but in this sentence the natural sense is the simple present: I sing a lullaby before the nap.

Because ninnananna is a feminine singular noun, so it takes the feminine singular indefinite article una.

• un = masculine singular
• una = feminine singular

So:

• una ninnananna = a lullaby

Yes, ninnananna is commonly written as one word. It means lullaby.

You may also sometimes see ninna nanna written as two words. Both forms are used, but ninnananna as one word is very common and standard.

It comes from the soothing sounds traditionally used with babies, similar to nursery-style language.

It is pronounced roughly like:

neen-nah-NAHN-nah

A few helpful points:

• nn is a doubled consonant, so hold the n a little longer than in English.
• The stress falls on -nan-: nin-na-NAN-na.

Italian double consonants matter, so try not to reduce them too much.

Prima del means before the.

It comes from:

• prima di = before
• il = the

When di is followed by il, they combine:

• di + il = del

This is a very common Italian contraction.

So:

• prima del sonnellino = before the nap

Italian often uses articles more than English does.

Here del includes the, so the phrase is literally before the little nap / before the nap. In natural English, we may or may not say the, depending on context, but in Italian the article is very normal here.

Compare:

• prima di dormire = before sleeping
• prima del sonnellino = before the nap / before nap time

The version with del refers to a noun, not an action.

Yes. Sonnellino usually means a short sleep, a nap, or a little snooze.

It is related to sonno (sleep), but sonnellino is more specific and often sounds smaller, softer, or more affectionate.

That is because -ino is a common Italian diminutive ending. It can suggest:

• smallness
• affection
• something light or brief

So sonnellino is a very natural word for nap.

Both can refer to a nap, but they are not always identical in tone.

• pisolino = a nap, often a quick daytime nap
• sonnellino = a little sleep, a snooze, often softer or more affectionate in tone

In a sentence about singing a lullaby, sonnellino fits especially well because it sounds gentle and child-related. It matches the tone of ninnananna nicely.

Yes, but it depends on what follows.

• prima di + noun/infinitive = before + noun/verb
• prima by itself = earlier / before

In this sentence, since a noun follows (il sonnellino), you need di, which contracts with il:

• prima del sonnellino

You could also say:

• prima di dormire = before sleeping

It is normal Italian word order:

Canto + una ninnananna + prima del sonnellino
verb + object + time expression

Italian word order is often similar to English in simple sentences, although it is more flexible. This sentence sounds natural and straightforward.

You could move parts around for emphasis, for example:

• Prima del sonnellino, canto una ninnananna.

That still means the same thing, but puts more focus on before the nap.

Yes, it sounds natural, especially in a context involving a child.

It has a gentle, affectionate tone because of:

• ninnananna = lullaby
• sonnellino = little nap / nap

So it works very well in a family or childcare context. If you wanted a slightly less affectionate or more neutral version, you might choose different words, but this sentence is perfectly natural as it is.