Learn Hardcore Italian: Guardiamo un elefante che beve acqua.

Guardiamo is the first-person plural (noi) present indicative of the verb guardare, meaning we watch or we are watching. The full present-tense conjugation of guardare is:

io guardo
tu guardi
lui/lei guarda
noi guardiamo
voi guardate
loro guardano

Why is the simple present used instead of a progressive tense like “we are watching”?

In Italian the simple present (presente indicativo) covers both the English simple present and the present continuous. So guardiamo can mean “we watch” or “we are watching.” If you want to stress the ongoing action, you can use stare + gerund:

stiamo guardando un elefante che beve acqua
but it’s optional—guardiamo on its own already conveys “we are watching.”

What is the function of che in un elefante che beve acqua?

Che is a relative pronoun meaning “that” or “who.” It introduces the defining relative clause che beve acqua, linking back to un elefante. Unlike English, Italian uses che for both people and things without changing its form.

Why is the verb in the relative clause beve in the indicative, not the subjunctive?

Italian uses the subjunctive in relative clauses only when there’s doubt, emotion, desire, or indefiniteness introduced by expressions like non c’è nessuno che… or voglio che… Here, the clause simply states a factual observation (“the elephant drinks water”), so you use the indicative beve. A subjunctive che beva would imply uncertainty or wish.

Why is there no article before acqua? Could we say dell’acqua?

Here acqua is an uncountable noun used in a general sense (“water”), so no article is required.

If you want to say “some water,” you’d use the partitive article: dell’acqua.
If you refer to specific water already known, you’d use the definite article: l’acqua.

Could we say che sta bevendo acqua instead of che beve acqua? What’s the difference?

Yes.

che sta bevendo acqua uses the present progressive (stare + gerund) to highlight that the action is happening right now: “that is drinking water.”
che beve acqua is the simple present, which in Italian already covers ongoing actions. The nuance is slight; sta bevendo feels more vivid or “in the moment.”

Why is un elefante indefinite here? Could we use l’elefante?

Using un (“an”) indicates you’re introducing the elephant for the first time or talking about any elephant. If the elephant were already known or specified, you’d use the definite article l’elefante (“the elephant”).

How do you pronounce elefante and where is the stress?

elefante is pronounced e-le-ˈfan-te, with the stress on the third syllable fan. A rough guide:

e = “eh”
le = “leh”
FAN = “fahn” (stressed)
te = “teh”
Altogether: eh-leh-FAHN-teh.