Learn Hardcore Italian: Stiamo per rinnovare il nostro abbonamento mensile alla biblioteca. - We are about to renew our monthly library membership.

Stiamo per rinnovare is the Italian way to express the immediate future, equivalent to “we are about to renew” or “we’re just about to renew.” Here stiamo is the present tense of stare (“to be”), per means “about to,” and rinnovare is the infinitive “to renew.”

Why is there a definite article il before nostro abbonamento?

In Italian, possessive adjectives (like nostro) usually appear with a definite article. So you say il nostro abbonamento (“our subscription”) because abbonamento is masculine singular. Omitting il (saying just nostro abbonamento) would sound odd or overly clipped in standard Italian.

Why is mensile used here, and can I say ogni mese instead?

Mensile is an adjective meaning “monthly.” It directly modifies abbonamento to form “monthly subscription.” You could rephrase as abbonamento che rinnoviamo ogni mese, but abbonamento mensile is more concise and idiomatic.

Why is it alla biblioteca and not just a biblioteca?

In Italian, the preposition a (“to/at”) merges with the definite article la (“the” feminine) to form alla. Since biblioteca is feminine singular, you need alla = a + la, so alla biblioteca means “to the library” or “at the library.”

What is the difference between biblioteca and libreria?

Biblioteca is a library where you borrow books for free or for a fee.
Libreria is a bookstore where you buy books.
In this sentence, biblioteca is correct because you’re renewing a borrowing subscription.

Can I replace rinnovare with another verb?

Rinnovare specifically means “to renew” (e.g., contracts, subscriptions, memberships). If you used a generic verb like fare di nuovo (“do again”), it would sound unnatural. Stick with rinnovare when you want “renew.”