Breakdown of Io inzuppo il biscotto nel latte.
io
I
in
in
il latte
the milk
il biscotto
the cookie
inzuppare
to dunk
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Italian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Io inzuppo il biscotto nel latte.
What does inzuppo mean in this sentence?
Inzuppo is the first person singular present form of the verb inzuppare, which means "to dip" or "to soak." It indicates that the action is being performed by "I."
Why is the subject pronoun Io explicitly included when Italian often omits subject pronouns?
Although the verb conjugation in Italian already shows who is acting, the pronoun Io can be added for emphasis or clarity. It’s similar to saying "I, for example, dip the cookie in the milk" in English, highlighting or stressing the subject.
What does nel latte mean, and how is it formed?
Nel latte means "in the milk." It is a contraction of the preposition in and the masculine singular definite article il. When combined, in + il becomes nel.
Why is the article il used before biscotto, and what does that tell me about the noun?
The article il is used because biscotto is a masculine singular noun. In Italian, articles must agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify, so il biscotto shows proper agreement.
How does the conjugation of inzuppo indicate the subject of the sentence?
The conjugation inzuppo corresponds to the first person singular in the present tense. This means that the speaker is saying "I dip" or "I soak" the cookie, even if the pronoun Io were to be omitted.