Passo il tempo a leggere in giardino.

I spend time reading in the garden.

Breakdown of Passo il tempo a leggere in giardino.

• io: I
• in: in
• il giardino: the garden
• leggere: to read
• il tempo: the time
• passare: to spend

Questions & Answers about Passo il tempo a leggere in giardino.

Is passo just the present-tense form of the verb passare, meaning “I spend”?

Yes. Italian often uses passare for “to spend (time).” The conjugation here is first-person singular, which directly translates to “I spend.”

Why does the sentence use a leggere instead of something like di leggere?

The construction passare + tempo + a + [infinitive] is a standard Italian pattern for saying you spend time doing something. So with passo il tempo a leggere, it naturally means “I spend my time reading.” Using di leggere would sound unnatural in this context for indicating an action you do with your free time.

Could I say trascorrere il tempo instead of passare il tempo?

Yes, you could say trascorro il tempo a leggere. Trascorrere and passare are often interchangeable when talking about spending time, although passare sounds more casual in everyday speech.

What does in giardino imply in this sentence?

In giardino tells us where you are reading. It’s the equivalent of saying “in the garden,” indicating the specific location where you spend your time reading.

Are the words il tempo essential, or could I just say passo a leggere in giardino?

It’s more common in Italian to specify what’s being spent—il tempo—when using passare in this sense. You might occasionally hear passo a leggere in giardino, but it’s less natural. Using il tempo makes the sentence sound complete and clear.