Breakdown of Ripongo le penne nel cassetto della scrivania ogni sera.
io
I
la penna
the pen
di
of
ogni
every
la sera
the evening
nel
in
la scrivania
the desk
riporre
to put away
il cassetto
the drawer
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Questions & Answers about Ripongo le penne nel cassetto della scrivania ogni sera.
What is the verb ripongo, and how is it conjugated here?
Ripongo comes from the irregular verb riporre, meaning “to put away” or “to store.” In this sentence it’s in the present indicative, first person singular (“I put away”).
Why use riporre instead of the more common mettere?
While mettere simply means “to put,” riporre conveys the idea of putting something back in its proper place or storing it. Here you’re specifically putting the pens away in your desk drawer.
Why is it le penne and not i penne?
In Italian penna is feminine (la penna), so its plural takes le (le penne), not i.
Why do we say nel cassetto instead of just in cassetto or al cassetto?
Italian normally uses the definite article after spatial prepositions. Nel = in + il (masculine singular). You wouldn’t say “in cassetto” (missing the article) or “al cassetto” (al = a + il, but “mettere a/in il” isn’t standard for drawers).
What does della scrivania mean, and why is della used?
Della is the contraction of di + la, meaning “of the.” So cassetto della scrivania literally means “drawer of the desk.” It indicates possession or the specific desk.
Could you say tutte le sere instead of ogni sera, and what’s the difference?
Yes. Both mean “every evening.” Ogni sera emphasizes each individual evening, while tutte le sere (“all the evenings”) is equally correct but slightly more emphatic.
Why is ogni sera placed at the end of the sentence?
In Italian adverbial expressions of time often come at the end. Placing ogni sera last clearly shows when the action happens without breaking up verb and object.