Io gioco con il mio amico.

I

Breakdown of Io gioco con il mio amico.

• giocare: to play
• con: with
• l'amico: the friend
• mio: my

Questions & Answers about Io gioco con il mio amico.

Why is the subject pronoun io used at the start of the sentence, even though Italian often drops subject pronouns?

In Italian, subject pronouns (like io) can be omitted because the verb endings make the subject clear. However, including io can add emphasis or clarity. For instance, Io gioco con il mio amico might stress that I am playing, as opposed to someone else.

Why do we say gioco and not something like gioca?

Gioco is the first-person singular form of the verb giocare (meaning to play). If you used gioca, that would be the third-person singular (he/she/it plays). Since the subject is io (I), you need gioco.

Why is con used before il mio amico?

In Italian, con means with, so con il mio amico literally translates to with my friend. It’s the standard preposition to indicate accompaniment.

Do I always need to use il before mio amico?

Yes. When talking about a masculine singular noun (like amico) and using a possessive (like mio), Italian grammar normally requires the definite article (il), unless the noun refers to an immediate family member in the singular form (e.g., mio padre, mia madre). Since amico is not an immediate family member, you need il.

Is the word amico correct for female friends as well?

No. Amico is the masculine form meaning male friend. If you are talking about a female friend, you would use amica. If you have a group of both male and female friends, you would use the plural amici, although some speakers might say amiche if the group is all female.