Issiamo la vela.

It comes from issare, which means to hoist, to raise up, or to run up something like a sail or a flag.

So:

• issare = to hoist
• issiamo = we hoist / we are hoisting

This is a fairly specific verb, often used in nautical or technical contexts.

It can mean both, depending on context.

In Italian, the 1st person plural present tense can be used in two ways:

• statement: We hoist the sail
• suggestion/command: Let’s hoist the sail

So Issiamo la vela could mean either:

• We are hoisting the sail
• Let’s hoist the sail

You usually tell which one is meant from the situation, tone of voice, or surrounding sentences.

Because Italian usually leaves subject pronouns out when they are not needed.

The ending -iamo already tells you the subject is we.

So:

• Issiamo la vela = normal, natural Italian
• Noi issiamo la vela = possible, but more emphatic

You would use noi only if you want contrast or emphasis, for example:

• Noi issiamo la vela, loro controllano il timone.
  We hoist the sail, they check the helm.

Because Italian usually uses an article where English sometimes does not.

La vela means the sail. In a real situation, it usually refers to the sail that is relevant in that moment, so the definite article sounds natural.

Compare:

• Issiamo la vela. = We hoist the sail.
• Issiamo una vela. = We hoist a sail.

The definite article is often used in Italian in everyday speech when the object is understood from context.

It is correct, but it is somewhat specialized.

Italian speakers especially use issare for things like:

• sails
• flags
• banners
• anything that is hoisted upward in a fairly deliberate way

In more general contexts, Italians might use broader verbs such as:

• alzare = to raise
• sollevare = to lift

So issare is natural here because a vela is exactly the kind of thing you hoist.

It is pronounced approximately ees-SYAH-mo.

A few helpful points:

• i = like ee in see
• ss = a clear voiceless s, as in hiss
• -iamo often sounds like YAH-mo in speech

So the stress is on the middle syllable:

• is-SIA-mo
• IPA: /isˈsja.mo/

Because that is simply part of the verb’s spelling and stem: iss-.

The double s matters in Italian pronunciation. It is pronounced more strongly than a single s, and it stays a clear s sound, not a z sound.

So:

• issare
• issiamo

both keep that double s.

Yes, it is grammatical and natural, especially in a nautical context.

A native speaker would understand it as something like:

• a description: We’re hoisting the sail
• a command/suggestion: Let’s hoist the sail

One small note: in real sailing contexts, you may also hear the plural le vele if more than one sail is involved. But la vela is completely fine if one specific sail is meant.

Yes, but the basic order Issiamo la vela is the most neutral.

Italian can move words around for emphasis, but not all orders sound equally natural. For example:

• Issiamo la vela. = neutral
• La vela issiamo. = unusual; sounds marked or poetic
• La vela la issiamo noi. = strong emphasis, something like The sail is what we’re hoisting

For learners, the standard verb + object order is the safest choice here.

It is the present indicative of issare, first person plural.

Conjugation:

• io isso
• tu issi
• lui/lei issa
• noi issiamo
• voi issate
• loro issano

So grammatically, issiamo is present tense. Its exact English translation can vary with context:

• we hoist
• we are hoisting
• sometimes let’s hoist if used as an exhortation