Breakdown of Metto il timbro sul documento.
io
I
su
on
mettere
to put
il documento
the document
il timbro
the stamp
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Questions & Answers about Metto il timbro sul documento.
What does metto mean in this sentence?
Metto is the first person singular present tense of the verb mettere (to put, to place). Here it literally means “I put” – i.e. “I put/place the stamp on the document.”
Why isn’t there an explicit subject pronoun like io?
In Italian, verb endings usually make the subject clear. The ending -o in metto already tells you the subject is “I.” Including io is redundant unless you want to emphasize the subject: Io metto il timbro sul documento.
Could I use un timbro instead of il timbro?
Yes, grammatically you could say Metto un timbro sul documento, which would mean “I put a stamp on the document” (any stamp). Using il timbro implies you’re referring to a specific, known stamp.
What exactly does timbro refer to here?
Timbro can mean:
- The physical rubber (or metal) device used to stamp.
- The imprint or mark left by that device.
In Metto il timbro sul documento, it most likely refers to the device you press onto the document.
Why is it sul documento? What is sul?
Sul is a contraction of the preposition su (on) + the definite article il (the), so su + il = sul.
Thus sul documento means “on the document.”
Can I replace il timbro with a direct object pronoun?
Yes. Since timbro is masculine singular, you replace il timbro with lo:
Metto lo sul documento becomes Lo metto sul documento (“I put it on the document”).
Could I say Timbro il documento instead of Metto il timbro sul documento?
Absolutely. Timbro is the first person singular of the verb timbrare (to stamp). Saying Timbro il documento (“I stamp the document”) is more direct. Metto il timbro focuses on the action of placing the stamp, whereas timbro il documento focuses on the stamping result.