Dopo cena, carico i piatti nella lavastoviglie.

After dinner, I load the dishes in the dishwasher.

Breakdown of Dopo cena, carico i piatti nella lavastoviglie.

• io: I
• in: in
• dopo: after
• il piatto: the dish
• la cena: the dinner
• caricare: to load
• la lavastoviglie: the dishwasher

Questions & Answers about Dopo cena, carico i piatti nella lavastoviglie.

What does dopo cena mean in English?

It translates to "after dinner", indicating the time when the action occurs.

Why is the subject I not explicitly stated in the sentence?

Italian is a pro-drop language, which means the subject pronoun can be omitted because the verb ending already implies "I". In this case, carico clearly indicates that the speaker is performing the action.

What does the verb carico mean and how is it used here?

Carico is the first person singular present tense form of the verb caricare, which means "to load." Here, it indicates that the speaker loads the dishes after dinner.

What is the role of the contraction nella in this sentence?

Nella is a contraction of in and la, meaning "in the" or "into the." It shows where the dishes are being loaded — into the dishwasher.

How is lavastoviglie constructed and what does it refer to?

Lavastoviglie is a compound word formed from lava (derived from lavare, meaning "to wash") and stoviglie (dishes). It means "dishwasher," referring to the appliance used to wash dishes.

Is the sentence structure in Italian similar to English, and what should I note about its word order?

Yes, the structure is quite similar; it begins with a time expression (dopo cena), followed by the verb and its object, much like saying "After dinner, I load the dishes..." However, Italian often omits the subject (thanks to verb conjugation), so what might seem like a different word order is actually typical and natural in Italian.