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Io lavo il tavolo con il panno.

Io lavo il tavolo con il panno.
I wash the table with the cloth.
FromLesson 17inHardcore Italian

Breakdown of Io lavo il tavolo con il panno.

io
I
il tavolo
the table
con
with
lavare
to wash
il panno
the cloth

Questions & Answers about Io lavo il tavolo con il panno.

What does each word in the sentence "Io lavo il tavolo con il panno" mean?
Io means I. Lavo is the first person singular present form of the verb lavare (to wash), so it translates as I wash. Il tavolo means the table, with il being the masculine singular definite article. Con il panno translates as with the cloth, where con is the preposition with and il panno means the cloth (again using the masculine singular article).
Why is the subject pronoun "Io" explicitly stated even though Italian often omits subject pronouns?
In Italian, the verb conjugation already indicates the subject, which means that subject pronouns like Io can be dropped. However, including Io can add emphasis or clarity, especially for learners or in contexts where you want to stress that I am the one performing the action.
How is the verb "lavo" derived from the infinitive "lavare"?
Lavo is formed by taking the verb lavare (to wash) and conjugating it in the present indicative for the first person singular. Regular Italian -are verbs follow a predictable pattern, so for lavare the ending -o is added to the stem, resulting in lavo meaning I wash.
Why are the articles "il" used before both "tavolo" and "panno"?
In Italian, il is the masculine singular definite article, equivalent to the in English. Both tavolo (table) and panno (cloth) are masculine singular nouns, so they each take il as their definite article. This informs the listener that you are referring to a specific table and a specific cloth.
What is the function of the preposition "con" in this sentence?
The preposition con means with. It indicates the instrument or means by which an action is carried out. In this sentence, con il panno tells us that the table is being washed using the cloth.
Can the word order in Italian be changed without altering the overall meaning of the sentence?
Italian is relatively flexible with word order, and the subject pronoun can often be omitted because the verb form makes the subject clear. For instance, you could simply say Lavo il tavolo con il panno without losing meaning. Rearranging elements might change the emphasis (for example, placing the object at the beginning for stylistic purposes), but the basic meaning (I wash the table with the cloth) remains intact as long as the important elements are present and correctly linked.
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