Controlliamo l'atterraggio prima del tentativo.

We check the landing before the attempt.

Breakdown of Controlliamo l'atterraggio prima del tentativo.

• controllare: to check
• prima: before
• l'atterraggio: the landing after a climb
• il tentativo: the attempt

Questions & Answers about Controlliamo l'atterraggio prima del tentativo.

Why is controlliamo used here, and does it mean we check or let’s check?

Controlliamo is the 1st person plural form of controllare.

It can mean either:

• we check / we are checking
• let’s check

That is because in Italian, the 1st person plural imperative has the same form as the present tense.

So the sentence can be understood in two ways depending on context:

• as a statement: We check the landing before the attempt
• as a suggestion/instruction: Let’s check the landing before the attempt

In many practical or instructional contexts, the let’s check reading is very natural.

Does controllare mean to control here?

Not in this sentence.

Although controllare looks like the English verb to control, it very often means:

• to check
• to inspect
• to verify
• to monitor

So here controlliamo l’atterraggio means we check the landing or let’s check the landing, not we control the landing.

This is a very common false friend for English speakers.

Why is there no subject pronoun like noi?